Lost Within The Walls
by JustYourAverageJackSparrow
Summary: Genevieve wakes up the box, she has no memory of who she was and finds it difficult to cope with the new lifestyle. As a member of the Glade, everyone tries to help her cope. But one boy in particular catches her eyes and her, his. Too bad for Alby's rule- No relationships between Gladers. Who is this boy that breaks the rules for her? Find out! (Set before Thomas and Teresa)
1. New Beginnings

Opening her eyes, the girl was greeted by bright sunlight that caused her to immediately close her eyes. _Where am I?_ She thought to herself, once again attempting to open her eyes, this time using her hand to block out the bright sunlight. The last thing she remembered was... Now that she thought about it. She remembered nothing.

"We got a new one! It's a... Girl." Scrambling backwards away from the shadow that loomed above her, the girl's back hit whatever it was that contained her. Above her was a boy, not much older than her, he was of Asian heritage with muscular arms and short black hair that stuck up. He was handsome too. The girl watched him, frozen as others began to crowd around her, all watching her with a look of confusion on their faces. _Who are these people?_She wondered, making sure she was as far away from the boys as possible.

"Where am I?" She stuttered, looking around at the confused faces that gawked at her. Perhaps she was going to die? She sure felt like it. As her eyes began to wander over the faces, her eyes fell onto a dark skinned boy of about 17 years of age, who jumped down into the compartment with a thud, the Asian boy stepping back and climbing out of the compartment in order to let the other in. "Stay back!" The girl cried at the boy who angled his palms upward, signalling that he meant no harm,

"Listen to me, you're safe here. No one is going to hurt you." He spoke in a calming voice, "Can you tell me your name?" He asked. The girl frowned softly, thinking hard, but nothing came of it. In fact, she knew nothing of who she was. Shaking her head, the boy returned a smile, "Don't worry. That happens to all of us. You'll remember your name in a few days. That's the only thing they let us have." There was a small hint of sadness in his tone that the girl didn't understand. "My name is Alby." The boy, Alby introduces himself, holding his hand out. The girl was hesitant but slowly allowed herself to take Alby's hand. As he pulled her up and out of the compartment that she worked out to be a cage like box, she soon realised the other boys that all stood watching her. The strange thing about all of this was that there were no other girls. Just a group of sweaty, teenage boys all watching her with horror and uneasiness.

"Welcome to the Glade." Alby announced. Looking around, the girl found her eyes land onto an open space that was filled with a manner of different things made of timber. On the far left of the area was a forest.

"And what is that?" She asked her eyes locked onto a large gap in the walls that surrounded the area. As Alby and the others all followed her gaze, an eerie silence followed,

"So, you're a curious one, Greenie." One boy smirked destroying the silence completely. Looking to the owner of the voice, the girl's eyes fell onto a blonde boy who was quite skinny in size,

"Greenie?"

"That's what we call the newbies." He explained with a shrug of his shoulders,

"Who are you?" She then asked, her eyes narrowing slightly at the boy,

"The names Newt." He replied with a nod, "It's been a long time since we've had a girl. Actually, I wouldn't know. You're the first girl to arrive since I've been here." He said, crossing his arms over his chest. Alby cleared his throat, drawing the girl's attention away from Newt,

"It's dangerous."Alby he said, answering her original question, "No one ever steps a foot out there." His tone was clear enough for anyone to understand that he was the leader of the group and what he said went, "No one but Minho and the Runners." He then added, looking over at the Asian boy she assumed to be Minho. As she laid her eyes on the boy, he gave her a small nod before averting his eyes.

"You... You've gone out there?" She asked in disbelief. Minho once again nodded,

"It's what I do.." He said with a sly smile as if he was almost mocking the girl. The stared the other down for a few seconds more, earning a couple of howls from the other boys. So far, she was particularly fond of anyone.

"The show is over boys. I'll show the greenie around." Alby spoke to the boys in an authority based tone of voice to which each of them nodded. Looking at each boy in turn, the girl's eyes lingered on both Newt and Minho for only a moment before she turned her back and followed Alby,

"Who are they?" She asked bitterly,

"Newt and Minho?" Alby asked, "Well, when I'm not around, Newt's second in command and Minho is the Keeper of The Runners." The girls blinked in disbelief that Newt was second in command, but she figured it wasn't the time to bring up the politics of this place,

"What is a runner?"

"They run the Maze looking for a way out." He answered, his eyes locked onto the entrance of the... Maze.

"And... has Minho found a way out yet?" She asked lightly, Alby sighed,

"We've been here for two years now... still no luck. But, every month a new member shows up with the supplies we get through the box." He explained, his dark eyes flicking over to the 'box' she had arrived in,

"So... That makes me the 24th member?" She asked. Alby avoided her gaze,

"Not everyone copes very well with the environment. We've lost people along the way."

"How many?" She asked curiously. Alby continued to avoid her gaze, taking a small breath,

"10" he answered softly. The girl's eyes widened in horror. _10? That's almost half the number of those who have been sent here. Is it really that bad?_

"How did they...?"

"Panic, mostly. Some people try to run- bring it upon themselves. Claim they'd rather be dead than here." The girl gave a single nod, looking over her shoulder at the gap that was both mysterious and terrifying. She had no idea where it lead to or what it was used for and the more she thought about it, the more she realised that she would most likely never know. As the pair continued to move through the structures that Alby pointed out as they went through, the girl followed, only half listening to what he was saying. No matter what she did, her interest remained with the Maze and its purpose.

**A/N: Thank you for reading the first chapter! **


	2. The Maze

After a few more hours, the girl soon understood the layout of the area and even gained her own hammock to sleep on that was provided by a muscular boy of around 16 called Gally, who seemed, if anything aggravated by her presence. At this stage, she had been formally, yet briefly introduced to each of the boys through Alby and as a result was now tasked with trying to remember all of their names (ironically enough, she could not even remember her own let alone all of the Glades). Whilst, she was being introduced to the Glades, Alby also gave a brief description on what each of them did within their own groups. From what she learned, there were the Runners, which was lead by Minho, the Builders, lead by Gally, the Cooks, lead by Frypan, the Track-Hoes (which ran the farming side to things) lead by Zart, the Slicers (Who slaughtered livestock for food), lead by Winston and finally, the Med-Jacks, lead by Clint. Of course, there were the Sloppers, which was basically anyone who was considered a 'Shuck' as Newt had so plainly put it. According to Newt, there would be a celebration of some sorts with her being the guest of honour. She had actually planned on trying to speak to Minho about the Runners- she had attempted to speak to him throughout the day, but Minho had only replied with snarky retorts. She wasn't sure what she had done to annoy Minho so much, but Newt swore that he was only aggravated due to the fact that he was unable to run the Maze until his ankle had healed properly. That in itself had confused the girl, she couldn't understand why someone would __want __to go into the Maze, from what she had heard from the other boys, it was extremely dangerous and once night had fallen, those who didn't make it out were as good as dead.

Until night did fall over, Alby had requested that she was to collect wood from the forest for the fire they would be setting tonight. It was an absolutely thrilling job and by that she meant it was utterly boring. But she supposed that until she found herself within a group she got the jobs that no one else wanted. Guess that's what it meant to be the Greenie,

"Oi! Greenie!" Looking over her shoulder, her eyes fell onto Newt, rather than the stained white shirt, he wore a faded orange singlet that showed his skinny yet at the same time muscular and toned figure. As he walked towards her steadily, she could not help but notice that he walked with a limp,

"Oi, Blondie!" She replied with a slight smirk. Newt stopped,

"Bloody hell, never heard that one before." He retorted sarcastically in his distinct accent, rolling his eyes, "Have enough wood there?" He asked, pointing at the pile of wood she held in her arms. Before she could reply, Newt spoke once more, "Come on. I have something to show you." Standing upright, the girl gave a short nod, Alby was the only one she really had anything to do with so far. The others all seemed too busy to concern themselves with mere girl. In all honesty, within the hours she had been among the Glades, she had felt nothing but loneliness.

"What is it?" She asked suspiciously. Newt shrugged his shoulders,

"I thought you may have been interested in watching the Runners return before the bloody Maze closes. Seems all the Greenies enjoy seeing that." He said with a small smile. Standing upright, the girl smiled softly,

"Really?" She asked, "You'll really show me that?" Newt shrugged,

"Alby suggested it." Turning on his heel he started walking, "Come on if you're coming." Dropping the wood in her arms, she ran after him and then straight past him, heading straight for the Maze entrance. She didn't care that Newt was yelling 'Greenie' after her. Ever since she had woken up in the box as the boys had called it, everything was new and unusual. But the one thing that was of interest to her was the Maze. It was a symbol of both fear and hope for everyone who was trapped in this hell. No, it wasn't hope, it was the Runners that were the hope. She guessed they were kind of like the heroes of the Glades. Stopping dead in her tracks, Genevieve froze, her eyes locked onto the Maze.__Genevieve...? My name? Genevieve... It's my name...__Smiling softly to herself, she looked over her shoulder at Newt who had only just caught up to her, panting slightly,

"You run pretty fast, Greenie."

"Genevieve." She replied back with a smile. There was a moment of silence before Newt grinned,

"Genevieve? That's a mouthful." He chuckled, "I'm surprised you remembered it so quickly, but I guess I know what to call you now." He said. Moving up beside her, Newt's eyes were focused onto the Maze entrance, Genevieve had never been so close to it before and as the time passed, more and more of the boys showed up, all peering into the Maze entrance waiting for the Runners to appear as they apparently did every day. On the opposite side of where Newt and Genevieve were standing, she caught sight of Minho, his arms crossed and his brow furrowed, his dark eyes locked onto the Maze as if he was running it in his head. "Hmm." looking back to Newt, Genevieve raised her eyebrow at him,

"What?"

"I think I'm going to call you Gen." He mused,

"Gen?" After pondering the name, she nodded, she like the name 'Gen' it was much easier and shorter for everyone. Gen gave him a warm smile, "Gen it is." Looking back over at Minho, she frowned,

"How do you become a Runner?" She asked. Newt stared at her before following her gaze to Minho,

"Through him. But, why the bloody hell would you wanna be a Runner?" He asked,

"I never said I wanted to be a Runner." She replied, "I was just curious, You know, whether there was a trial or something." Newt laughed,

"Minho may seem big and tough, but he's really just a snide shuck who thinks he's _way _more macho than he is." Newt smirked,

"You two have problems?' Gen asked, looking back at him. The blonde chuckled, not taking his eyes off of Minho,

"Nah, no one in the Glades has problems with one another. Being here, you learn to be a family I guess. But, everyone knows what Minho's like. We just accept it. However, it takes awhile for the Greenie's to get used to his smartarse shucky attitude."

"And what about Gally?" She asked, remembered the very aggressive builder who more or less threw the hammock at her and kinda just ordered her around until she had successfully tied it up with the others.

"He just finds it hard to trust Greenie's at first. But don't panic, he'll warm up to you soon enough." Gen was about to open her mouth to speak, but was cut off by someone yelling out,

"They're coming!" Looking towards the Maze, Gen watched as two boys ran towards the opening, the crowd cheering for them. Once they were in the clear, both boys collapsed in exhaustion and in seconds were presented with water that each swallowed down greedily,

"That's Ben and Adam." Newt said, gesturing to each in turn.

"I see..." Gen replied, watching Ben and Adam with interest. After each had their fill of water, Alby and Minho both approached them, muttering something neither Gen nor Newt could hear.

"What are they saying?" Gen whispered, leaning over to Newt who scoffed,

"How the bloody hell would I know?" Gen couldn't help but laugh at the blonde who raised his eyebrow at her, crossing his arms as he did so. Looking back at Ben and Adam, Gen noticed that Minho was walking towards them, or well, slightly limping towards them,

"Newt." He greeted, ignoring Gen completely, "Alby said you wanted to talk to me."

"Since when do you listen to Alby?" Newt retorted. Minho smirked,

"Just because you're talking, it doesn't mean I'm listening, shuck." Newt rolled his eyes, "How's babysitting the green bean going?" He asked.

"Actually, quite well." Newt replied, completely ignoring the fact Gen was standing right beside him, "She remembers her name and hasn't had a freak out and tried to run off yet. So... Pretty well based on previous Greenies." Minho smirked, turning his attention to Gen,

"So what's your name, girly?" He asked. Gen frowned,

"Not girly for a start." He muttered, Minho gave her a dramatically fake look of offence,

"No need for that tone, Missy. I was just asking a question." He mocked.

"Genevieve." Minho nodded,

"Nice to meet ya, Gen." He smirked, earning a small chuckle from Newt. "What are you laughing at slinthead?" He snapped, shoving Newt playfully,

"Genevieve... Runner." He smirked, winking at Minho, who's smile faded immediately,

"No."

"What?" Gen exclaimed, looking between the two teenagers that were staring at each other, "I told you, Newt, I don't want to be a Runner."

"Plus, I don't want to have to carry her on my back whenever she get tired." Minho smirked, his dark eyes flicking towards her. Gen placed her hands on her hips,

"What are you saying? That I wouldn't be able to keep up?" Minho snickered,

"That's exactly what I'm saying, girly."

"Give her a bloody chance, shuck." Newt said, stepping behind Gen and placing his hands on her shoulders, "Greenie here runs pretty fast."

"But I don't-"

"With those legs?" Minho interrupted, looking down at her legs. So, she wasn't as tall as Newt or Minho...

"Hey!" Crossing her arms, Newt laughed, letting her go and moving back around to face her,

"She's not interested in becoming a Runner. You scared her off." He smirked at Minho who shrugged his broad shoulders. Looking past the pair of them, Gen's eyes widened, the Maze was... closing? As the teenagers caught her gaze, the pair both turned to watch the two walls come together, blocking the entrance of the Maze altogether, "Thought you'd be impressed." Newt smiled.

"What happens if the Runner's don't make it back in time?" Gen asked,

"No one makes it through the night." Minho said, answering her question, "Put two and two together and you have your answer." As the Maze closed completely, Minho and the other boys all turned on their heels and headed back to where the celebration would begin, leaving only Gen and Newt behind, still staring up at the walls,

"Two years and you still haven't found a way out yet?" Gen breathed. Newt was silent for a few moments before he gave a short nod,

"But we will. I know we will." Turning away from her, Newt headed back up towards the others, "Come on. Alby'll ask me a whole heap of bloody questions if you don't show up." Turning away from the Maze, Gen smiled, following Newt at a short distance. She still had a million questions, but at least for now, she had some answers.

****A/N: Well, she now remembers her name and has a budding friendship with Newt and maybe a budding annoyance with Minho! Please vote and review! I love feedback!****


	3. Celebrations

Newt sat still, his eyes locked onto the large fire that illuminated the darkness. Everyone was pleased with Genevieve's quick recovery of her name and welcomed her warmly into the Glades as they did every month with every Greenie forced to live in the hell he called home. Looking around, Newt examined the distinct groups that were scattered around the fire, too busy with their own conversations to worry about anyone else. As always, the Runners sat by themselves, all focused on Minho who was probably telling them one of his so called 'jokes'; the only other group that kept somewhat to themselves were the Slicers who were a few metres away from Minho and the Runners. The rest however, were either filling their mouths with food, or apart of the 'fight' circle as Gally had started to call it. The 'fight' circle was really just a circle of eager eyes watching two people try to push each other from the circle. Gally was the champion and had been for as long as Newt remembered, but apparently, the other Builders and even some Sloppers still thought they stood a chance. Standing up, Newt moved towards the circle that had fallen unusually quiet, which often meant something terrible had happened or was about to.

"I'm not fighting __you__." Newt heard Gally cry angrily at whoever decided to go against him. As he moved towards the circle, a small frown formed on Newt's face, he could only think of a few people that Gally would have the reaction to, the first was Minho, who was now staring at the circle along with the other Runners, the second was Alby, who was sitting by the fire, unfazed by the commotion and the third was...

"Why not? I'm just as good as any boy." Quickening his pace, Newt pushed his way to the front of the circle. __Gen? Bloody hell.__

"Gen!" The brunette girl of around seventeen turned around to face Newt with a rather innocent look on her face, "What are you doing?" Newt asked, raising his eyebrow.

"Getting involved in things that don't concern her." Gally spat bitterly, crossing his arms over his chest as he narrowed his eyes at Gen who glanced back at him before returning her gaze to Newt,

"Is there a rule that states that a girl can't participate?" Gen asked Newt, her lips were pursed and her eyebrow raised as she waited for Newt's obvious answer,

"No."

"Then why can I not?" She asked, turning her attention back to Gally who scoffed at her persistence,

"Because I said so." Turning her body to face him completely, Gen crossed her arms and from what Newt could tell, she was giving him a foul look that seemed to please Gally,

"I know the rules." She said, lifting her small hand to push her curly, brown hair back behind her shoulder, "Everyone does their part. Never hurt another Glader. Never go outside the Glade and do not form romantic relations with another Glader." As she trailed off. The surrounding boys all whispered to each other causing immense frustration to Gally. "Name which one of these rules I'm breaking." At that point, the boys began howling and clapping at Gen's words. The thing was, what Gen didn't understand was that the last rule was what caused them to howl. Everyone knew why the rule was in place, no one spoke of it, but everyone knew. Genevieve wasn't the first girl. In total, there were only two other girls that were sent up in the box. Both of which had been killed before Newt arrived. Rosalind and Irene. Rosalind was the second Glader, arriving a month after Alby did. Everyone who had dared ask about Rosalind knew that for a short while, she belonged to Alby. That was, until she got lost in the Maze and never made it out with the others. Irene however, according to the stories, wasn't exactly a pretty girl, but she was strong and was a Runner much like Rosalind. Same story regarding her death but the interesting part to Irene's story was the rumour that she had been Gally's girl and that her death was why he was so aggressive. Whether or not the story was true was another matter altogether, but since the death of Rosalind and Irene, Alby swore that should another girl be sent to the Glades, there would be no relations in order to prevent the obvious grief that comes with loosing your 'other half' as Alby had called it.

"It's not a good idea, Gen." Newt called after the brunette, who ignored him completely.

"I say she should get a go." Minho's voice came. Looking over to where Newt had heard Minho's voice, he noticed that the Runners had all pushed their way to the front of the circle, watching with interest, "What are you so scared of Gally? Getting your butt kicked by a girl?" Gally narrowed his eyes at Minho,

"No." He spat back at him,

"Then stop being a shank and get on with it!" Minho cried back at him, earning a cheer from those around the circle, all but Newt of course, "I want to see what girly here's capable of." He said nodding his head at Gen with a sly smile.

"I told you my name isn't girly!" Gen cried back at him, causing the boys to all 'ooh'.

"Knock this shuck-faced klunk outta the circle and we'll see what happens." Minho winked, crossing his arms over his broad chest. Newt sighed, looking around to make sure Jeff and Clint were in the crowd, which of course they were. At this point, there weren't many that hadn't joined the circle, even Alby had come over to watch, standing next to Newt with a serious expression on his face. For now, it seemed he was letting it go, but Newt knew that as soon as trouble started, he would jump in and intervene.

"Fine, you're on, greenie." Gally finally gave in, "Let's see what you're made of, girly." he smirked, apparently adopting Minho's nickname for Gen, who clapped her hands together,

"When you're ready, shuck." she smirked, earning a few cheers from the crowd. Newt smiled, in a way, he guessed that besides an inevitable injury, Gen would receive quite a bit of respect due to this stunt, even more if she managed to put up a fight. Narrowing his eyes, Gally lunged forward with all his might as he always did when one of these 'fights' began. Newt held his breath and he got closer to Gen who stood her ground until the last second when she quickly ducked out of his way, spinning on her heel and stopping where Gally had lunged from. Skidding to a holt, Gally momentarily lost balance, his head whipping around to see where the girl had went. Looking down at his feet, he smirked softly once he realised he was still technically in the circle,

"Nice try, girly." he taunted, turning around to face Gen who wore a neutral expression. Newt smirked, placing his hands on his hips; so far, Gen had lasted longer than any of the Sloppers. Maybe she would make it after all.

"Are you gonna talk? Or are you gonna play?" Gritting his teeth, Gally once again lunged forward, this time with less force as to be sure he had plenty of time to stop. Gen once again ducked and ran back around to where she originally was, causing a large amount of frustration to Gally who spun around and dived towards Gen, grabbing her arm and pushing her forcefully back. Allowing her weight to fall completely to the ground, Gen managed to save herself from being kicked from the circle. Newt glanced at Minho, even he was impressed at how long she had lasted. The fall must have been hard as Gen slowly rose, gripping at her side where she had landed and it was clear by the rise and fall of her chest that her breathing had picked up, not that Newt was looking at her chest of course- only a mere observation.

"Slowing down a bit, girly?" Gally asked, placing his hands on his knees, ready to lunge forward one last time. Gen smiled,

"Yeah, runnin' circles around you. Takes it out of ya." The crowd once again snickered and even Minho smirked at her comment. Newt locked his eyes onto Gally, waiting for his reaction. He was short tempered at the best of times, surely being outsmarted by a bloody girl would just piss him off,

"Come on, Gally, that's enough. You've pretty much bloody won anyway." Newt cried, crossing his arms over his chest. Gally ignored him- seemed like what everyone was doing lately. Gally ran forward one last time and despite Genevieve's best efforts to move out of his way, she was pushed out of the circle and onto Minho, the pair falling to the ground with a thud. As cheers erupted through the crowd, Newt made his way over towards Minho and Gen,

"Are you okay?" He asked, peering down at Gen,

"Yeah, I'm fine." Minho replied, picking himself up and dusting down his blue shirt.

"I wasn't bloody talking to you, shuck" Newt scowled, looking down at Gen who was still on the ground, using her arms as support while she coughed furiously, "Are you alright, Gen?" Newt repeated, kneeling down beside the brunette,

"I think... I swallowed a bug." Gen replied with a stiff laugh. Newt smiled and was about to open his mouth to speak when Minho took a hold of her waist and hauled lifted her up like she was some sort of a rag-doll,

"Not bad, girly." He smirked, brushing down her shirt, "You've lasted longer than most." Gen narrowed her eyes at him,

"I told you not to call me 'girly'" She spat. As she attempted to move away, Gen quickly lost her balance, causing Minho to swoop forward to catch her,

"You hit your head pretty hard." Newt muttered, crossing his arms. Minho and Newt exchanged looks momentarily before glancing back at Gen who was now unconscious.

"That stupid shank." Minho muttered under his breath (Newt assumed he meant Gally) before he picked Gen up in his arms and carried her away from the crowd, Newt close at his heels,

"What are you bloody doing?" Newt growled at him.

"Dude. Relax." Minho said, looking back over his shoulder at him, "I'm taking her to the Homestead..." His voice trailed off as he continued to walk towards the Homestead where they all slept. "Why're you so concerned anyway, Newt?" Minho asked with a slight frown. Newt's eyes fell onto Gen,

"Because Alby would have my bloody head if I killed the Greenie on her first day." Minho laughed,

"She's quick. Would make a good Runner."

"No one wants to be a Runner. _She_ doesn't want to be a Runner." Newt replied as they drew closer to the Homestead,

"You were a Runner."

"I was a bloody idiot." Newt muttered as Minho and he reached the Homestead, "Which hammock is even hers?" Newt asked, looking at Minho who shrugged his shoulders,

"I'll just put her in mine." He replied, moving through the array of hammocks and into his own private room. Newt followed him into the room, it was small and tidy and in the corner of the room was a hammock, which Minho carefully laid Gen on before stepping back. Each of the Keepers as well as Alby and Newt himself had their own little rooms. It was nice and at least blocked out some of the snoring. "You can go now. I'll watch over her till morning." Minho sat, sitting down next to the hammock with his back against the wall,

"You? You're going to watch her?" Newt deadpanned. Minho shrugged,

"Why not? Nothing better to do." Newt rolled his eyes,

"Fine. You look after her, but if anything bloody happens. I'm blaming you." He snapped before turning on his heel and stepping out of Minho's room,

"I'll look after your girlfriend!" Minho called after him in a mocking tone of voice,

"She's not my bloody girlfriend, shuck!" Newt called back, leaving Minho to take care of the Greenie.


	4. The Med-Jack and The Runner

"Shhhh, Genevieve's in Minho's room."

"What?"

"Yeah, I saw him carrying her off last night."

"I thought she was with Newt?"

"Nah, Newt was just showin' her around the Glade and stuff cause Alby was busy. She's definitely Minho's girl."

"I wish she was my girl."

"Shouldn't you two shucks be doing something constructive?" Gen opened her eyes at the sound of Minho's voice, "Stop standing outside my room. Scram!" He scowled at the two boys before closing the door. Gen watched him as he stepped towards her, "I see you woke up." He smirked, placing his hands on his hips,

"What happened?" Gen asked, moving her hand up to touch the sore part of her head (Which was pretty much her entire head)

"Gally must have hit you hard." Minho replied, kneeling down in front of where she was laying in the hammock, "Knocked you out of the circle and then you were out to it. Newt and I couldn't work out which hammock was yours, so I just brought you here." He said. Gen gave a small nod before sitting up and allowing her eyes to look around the small room. There wasn't much in it, just a few extra pieces of clothing, spears and small knives and then the hammock she was laying on as well as another that was across from the one she was on,

"Why do you have two hammocks?" She asked, rubbing her eyes. Minho shrugged, standing back up,

"Well, once everyone had gone to bed, it was easy to find yours... Plus, I've always wanted a room mate and I'm too lazy to put your hammock back where I found it so, guess what... we're room mates." He announced quite causally, turning his back to her and removing the white shirt he was wearing,

"Where's Newt?" She asked, averting her eyes from the now shirtless Minho who turned to face her,

"Probably asleep. It's not even morning yet." Minho said, tossing his shirt on the ground before picking up another blue one similar to the one he wore last night from the small pile of what Gen hoped to be clean clothes, "But the Maze will be opening soon." he said. Genevieve couldn't help but frown as her feet found the ground,

"What about your ankle?" She asked, standing up and facing him,

"Eh, I've had worse." He replied with a shrug of his shoulders, tossing his shirt between each hand. As the words escaped his lips, three knocks sounded on the door, causing Minho to roll his eyes, "Who is it?!" He yelled at the door, not bothering to even move to answer it,

"Clint." The voice replied with a slight timidness that came with speaking to Minho she supposed.

"Ugh, come in" Minho groaned and as he spoke, a rather short teenage boy with grey hair already conquering his usual black stepped into the room, carrying a small box. When he noticed Gen he immediately looked between them with an alarmed look, "What do you think I am? Some kind of pervert?" Minho snapped at him, quickly throwing the blue shirt over his head, "I needed to change my shirt!" Clint shook his head,

"No. It's just that... there's a rule and stuff."

"I know that, Shuck. Gally knocked her out and I couldn't just leave her on the ground now could I?" He muttered, crossing his arms over his chest. Gen looked between them, it was obvious that Minho was the more dominant of the two, in some ways, Minho seemed like more of a leader than Alby did. Clearing his throat, Clint took a few steps towards Minho,

"Well... ah... Alby said I was to double check your ankle before you run the Maze." Minho and Gen both looked down at his ankle, which was bandaged in sort of dirty looking material,

"It's fine." Minho concluded, looking back up at Clint, his arms still crossed.

"Oh, come on. Just let Clint do his job!" Gen cried at Minho who shot her a foul look, "I'll tell Alby you shrugged Clint off and ignored his orders to have your ankle checked." She threatened. Although she hated pulling the 'dibber-dobber' card, it seemed like the only thing that could possibly work against the stubborn Minho.

"Fine. But be quick." He snapped, "The Maze opens soon." Clint gave Gen a warm smile as Minho took a reluctant seat on the ground, his leg with the injured ankle out in front of him. "Come on." He snapped once more. Clint gave a nod, kneeling down to begin unwrapping the material that just seemed to be tied in a series of knots.

"Here. Let me." Gen finally said after watching the disaster that was before her. Kneeling down beside Clint, Genevieve started to untie the knots that she assumed were tied by Minho in the first place.

"Thanks." Clint replied, going through his case while Gen finished unwrapping his bruised ankle.

"This doesn't look too good." Gen said, her eyes flicking from the bruised ankle to Minho,

"It's fine. I managed to carry you here." He muttered, "It's fine." Gen looked to Clint, who sighed softly,

"Genevieve is right. I would recommend not entering the Maze for another couple of days. Just until the bruising goes down." Clint said, avoiding eye contact with Minho.

"If you run on that ankle, even the tiniest slip will cause it to swell." Genevieve said, locking eyes with Minho, who glared. She wasn't afraid of Minho and she couldn't understand why Clint was.

"Look at you." Minho mocked, "Ready to become a Med-Jack?" He asked as if it was worse than being a Slopper. Gen smiled at him,

"Actually, I think I would love to be a Med-Jack." She replied, unsure whether she actually wanted to be a Med-Jack or just do it to spite Minho. But whatever the case, Clint grinned broadly,

"Really?" He exclaimed, "That would be great, I can show you everything you need to know." He said with a large amount of enthusiasm while Minho just stared at her with a look of horror on his face,

"That would be excellent." She smiled back at Clint before glancing back at Minho who pulled his ankle away from them,

"You shucks can do what you want. I'm running the Maze today and you can't stop me." Lifting himself off of the ground, Minho slowly put pressure on his ankle before grinning at both Gen and Clint,

"See? It's fine." He smirked before pushing past them and out the door. Standing, Gen quickly followed him,

"Minho!" She called after him, "Minho!"

"What?" He replied irritably, looking over his shoulder at Gen who caught up to him,

"You can't run today." She told him.

"You've been a Med-Jack for five minutes and you already think you can tell me what to do?" He asked with a smirk, raising his eyebrow at her. Gen frowned at him before turning her attention to the other Runners that stood outside the still closed Maze opening, their eyes all locked onto Minho and Gen who came closer to them,

"Minho, you can't run. What happens if you fall and can't get up?" She asked looking at him,

"I've been running the Maze for two years. I can handle myself." He replied. Stopping in front of the entrance, the other Runners all cheered at Minho's determination to run the Maze and looking around, it was then that Gen noticed that both Alby and Newt were amongst them, staring at Minho with a slight look of annoyance,

"Did Clint give you the all clear?" Alby asked, pushing his way through the crowd to speak to Minho,

"Yep." Minho lied, before wrapping his arm around Gen's shoulder, "We even have a new little Med-Jack." He smirked. Genevieve shoved him,

"He can't run. He's going to make it worse if he does." She argued, looking to Alby for some kind of support, which she didn't find,

"If Clint says he can run, he can run." Alby told her before nodding to Minho who smirked, looking down at Genevieve with an 'I told you so' look on his face. Gen was about to open her mouth to argue, but was cut off by the sound of the Maze opening,

"Catch ya later, roomie." Minho said, before jogging into the Maze with the other Runners,

"Minho!" Gen called after him, only to have him spin on his heel to wink at her before disappearing around the corner of the Maze.

"He's a bloody idiot, that one." Newt said, moving up beside Gen, "How are you feeling?"

"Fine." Gen replied, looking to Alby who was already walking back to the Glade, "Minho can't run." She said, turning her attention to Newt who gave her a reassuring smile,

"He'll be fine. In the meantime, congratulations on becoming a Med-Jack I guess." He grinned, turning away from the Maze to walk up with her. Gen laughed lightly,

"Guess I have my own little job now." She smiled. Freezing, Gen frowned as Newt stopped dead in his tracks, frowning at her, "What?" She asked. Leaning forward, Newt brushed his fingers along her forehead, pushing her hair back before clicking his tongue,

"That's a nasty bloody bruise." He said before pulling back. Genevieve smiled at him,

"I wouldn't have noticed." She replied, "Too busy running after Minho to worry about myself." She joked. Newt smiled softly,

"The way he treats Clint and Jeff, it will be nice to have someone who can stand up to him when it comes to his bloody injuries." Smiling back at him, Genevieve and Newt started walking again, she would have a huge day ahead of her.


	5. Purpose

Gen took a small breath as she followed Newt, her eyes were locked onto the ground. No matter what she did, Gen couldn't shake the feeling that something terrible was going to happen to Minho, she had warned not only him, but also Alby of the consequences that could arise from Minho and his ankle, but they didn't listen. Minho was stubborn and arrogant, yet, if anything was to happen to him she could not help but feel responsible, as if there was more she could have done to prevent him from going. Shaking her head, Genevieve attempted to calm herself, nothing bad had happened as of yet, she was just jumping to conclusions and thinking the worst of the situation- for all she knew, Minho was, as he said, fine and would come back just as cocky as ever, laughing at her for thinking he wouldn't be able to handle himself. Genevieve sighed softly, it had been only a couple of hours since she had become his 'roomie' and already he was simply becoming more of a burden than anything else.

"Where are we going?" She asked. Looking over his shoulder at her, Newt flashed her a grin,

"It's about time we make you a real member, Greenie." He said, turning his attention back to the front. Now that she thought about it, the entire time they had been walking, all they had been doing was following the wall,

"But, I have to meet Clint." She replied softly with a slight frown, "He's going to show me everything I need to know about being a Med-Jack."

"This won't take long." Newt replied, his eyes scanning the wall as they walked, causing Gen to become more confused than ever, "Here we go." Stopping in his tracks, Newt turned to face her and Gen couldn't help but frown at him,

"What?" She asked, raising her eyebrow at the blonde teenager. Looking at her once more, Newt smirked, placing his hands on his hips,

"Look at the bloody wall." He smirked, pointing to the piece of wall that was beside them. Gen followed his finger and found herself looking at the piece of wall, which was no different to any other piece of wall except that this part of the wall had everyone's names carved into it. Taking a few steps forward, Gen examined the names with interest, _Ben... Adam... Clint... Winston... Alby... Minho... Newt... _Repeating the names in her head, her smile faded at the names she did not know, _Rosalind... Irene... James... George... _These particular names had a line running through them and Gen didn't need to ask Newt to know what they meant. "You get to carve your name now. Personally, I'd go with Gen because Genevieve is so bloody long." He smirked, pulling out a knife and handing it to her handle first. Gen glanced at him, running her right hand over Newt's name,

"How long ago did you write yours here?" She asked, taking the knife from him and looking back at the wall. Newt shrugged his shoulders,

"I can't remember, it was that bloody long ago. What I do know is that there weren't many names here when I wrote mine." He said, his eyes moving up to the wall. Gen took a step closer, her eyes fixated on the spot underneath Newt's name that she was planning to carve hers into,

"Just here?" She asked, tapping the knife against the spot under his name. Newt gave a short nod, taking a couple of steps towards her,

"You gonna carve your name or just bloody stand here?" He asked. Gen rolled her eyes and began carving the G in her name.

She had to admit, it took longer than expected to write her name and when she had finished, she took a step back to examine her work- which was a complete mess, (But still better than Minho's catastrophe)

"A work of bloody art." Newt muttered, crossing his arms, "You done admiring your work or can we go?" Gen smirked,

"Give me a few more minutes." She grinned, earning a light shove from Newt,

"So, I heard you're Minho's new 'roomie'." He muttered, raising his eyebrow at Gen as they walked,

"Yeah." She replied, not really knowing what to say. Newt gave a small nod, before setting his eyes on her,

"He bloody snores." Newt said with a serious expression. Gen laughed,

"Thanks for the advice." She replied earning a chuckle from the blonde,

"I used to be his room mate when I was a Runner. Don't tell him I told you this, but..." Stopping in his tracks, he gestured for Gen to do the same, which she did. Moving towards her, Newt leaned forward, his lips brushing her ear and his breath tickling her neck, "Minho used to be scared of the dark." Pulling back, the pair burst into fits of giggles at the idea that someone as macho and manly as Minho could be scared of the dark. Looking at Newt, Gen tilted her head at him,

"Why did you stop being a Runner?" She asked, "Is it something to do with your leg?" She asked, her mind going back to the limp he walked with. She had been meaning to ask for quite some time, but had never gotten around to it. As his laughter died down, Newt's brow furrowed and he quickly averted his eyes from her,

"I... don't want to talk about it." He said, "You should find Clint." He said, an obvious tactic to avoid anymore of Gen's questions,

"I'm sorry, Newt." Gen said lightly, placing her hand on his shoulder, "You don't have to tell me, it's okay." Newt looked down at her hand, placing his own over hers before his eyes flicked up to meet hers,

"That's okay." He replied. There was a brief moment of silence as the two stared at each other, Newt's hand still on Gen's before she abruptly cleared her throat, removing her hand from his touch as quickly as possible and even taking a step back,

"I should... go find Clint." She said, looking down at her feet.

"Yeah. He'll have a bloody heart attack if he thinks you've bailed on him. He's been wanting another Med-Jack for ages." Newt informed her with a small smirk. Gen nodded, turning away from and walking off towards the Glade, looking over her shoulder, she caught Newt watching her, noticing that she was now looking at him, he waved before turning his back on her and walking in the opposite direction.

Genevieve stared at her feet as she walked, she was worried about Minho, she didn't know why, but there was something about Minho that made her fell like she was responsible for his well-being and health.

"Genevieve! You came." Clint's voice came causing Gen to look up,

"Yeah, why wouldn't I?" She asked with a slight frown on her face, the short teenager shrugged his shoulders,

"I wasn't sure if Minho put you up to it or not." He smirked. Gen laughed lightly,

"I can assure you he did not." Gen flashed him a reassuring smile, "Alby and Newt now know as well." She said. Clint nodded,

"I suppose that makes it official. Please, come in. I'll show you around." Clint said, gesturing to the door behind him. Gen nodded, moving towards the door and entering it, her eyes scanning the round room,

"This is where we meet and if one of the Gladers have an injury, they can find us here." He explained, "Every month 'They' sent us knew medical equipment, like bandages and anti-infections creams and that sort of stuff. It's not much but it's better than nothing." Gen gave a small nod, her eyes scanning the shelves that lined the walls that were made of sticks and branches (Like everything else in the Glade), but she was more impressed with the structure of the Med-Jacks building than any other she had seen so far. Everything was organised carefully and was quite easy to get the hang of.

"Is there anything else?" She asked. Clint looked around,

"Not really. You seem to know quite a bit and at least you can handle the guys like Minho. But, if you think something is too much for you, just call myself or Jeff and we can handle it." He said, "As well as teach you of course." He added. Gen smiled, he seemed rather nervous, as if he was terrified of saying something stupid that would make her change her mind about becoming a Med-Jack.

"Okay, that sound fine to me." She beamed, moving further into the room and examining the different creams and other stuff all lining the shelves, clear descriptions of what they would be used for scribbled on the cases.

"Ah, can I ask you a favor?" Clint spoke, following her gaze around the room,

"Sure thing." Genevieve replied, looking around at Clint with a raised eyebrow,

"Can you look after Minho and Gally if they ever come in?" He asked. Gen couldn't help but giggle but reluctantly nodded, "You seem to be able to deal with them better than Jeff and I can." he explained, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Sure thing." She replied. Clint gave her a small nod before clapping his hands together,

"Well then, we should get started. I'll teach you some of the basics." Clint announced. Gen smiled at him, at last she would be able to find her place within the Glade.


	6. Sacrifices We Make For Strangers

"And what does this do?" Gen asked, picking up a small bottle filled with a green liquid, Clint looked at the bottle for only for a second before he looked away,

"That's to relieve pain." He answered, "But, it's only used for serious pain. I have only needed to use it twice... unfortunately, I only use it to make death less painful." He mumbled, his eyes avoiding hers. Gen slowly put it down, her eyes lingering on it for only a second longer before she turned away from it completely. She had spent the entire day memorising the different things that she was introduced too, a lot of the medication in the room had been handmade by Clint himself, while others had been sent by who Clint called 'They' or 'Them'; those who had sent Gen and the others to the Glade in the first place,

"I think that's it. Now it's just a matter of remembering and using it when needed." He smiled softly,

"When does Minho and the Runners get back?" She asked, her mind falling back to Minho and his ankle, now that she had the proper information, she was sure she could make the healing process a lot quicker, that was assuming that he got out. Clint peered out of the door,

"Soon." He said, "Alby is already at the Maze." He told her, looking over her shoulder at Clint, Gen wanted to go, but whether or not she had the right to ask was another matter altogether. Noticing the look on her face, Clint sighed lightly, "Go on." Grinning at him, Gen walked out of the Med-Jack building, her eyes fixated on the crowd that was now gathered outside of the Maze. Looking at the group, it seemed like a ritual to wait for the Runners to get back. As her eyes scanned the faces of those moving towards the crowd, her eyes fell on a certain blonde that caused her to smile,

"Oi! Blondie!" She called, picking up her pace to a steady jog as she caught sight of Newt just ahead of her. Looking over his shoulder, Newt raised his eyebrow,

"Oi! Greenie!" He replied with a soft smirk, "How does it feel to be a Med-Jack?" He asked,

"Good. At least I feel like I'm doing something." Gen replied, walking beside Newt, "Of course, I hope I won't have to do my job, but accidents happen, I guess."

"Especially with the builders." Newt retorted, "They may be strong, but they haven't got a bloody brain between them." He smirked. Gen laughed, she had to admit, Newt had a pretty good sense of humour. Not as good as Minho's, but still pretty good. Moving towards the Maze alongside Newt, she felt her stomach turn, "Are you alright?" Newt asked. Gen could feel his eyes watching her, analysing her,

"I'm just a little worried about Minho, is all." She said, glancing at Newt who looked away from her and instead, allowed his gaze fall to his feet,

"Only a bloody day...? He _must_ be charming." He mumbled under his breath, just low enough that Gen couldn't hear him,

"What?" She asked. Newt looked back up at her with a small smile,

"Nothing. I'm sure Minho is fine." He spoke through gritted teeth that he hid behind his cheesy smile. Gen remained quiet, she wasn't sure what she did, but Newt seemed almost annoyed at her and the last thing she wanted was to annoy the only person she had any kind of friendship with.

"Newt!" Alby's voice rang as he watched them approach him, "Has Gen written her name on the wall?" He asked, Newt gave a soft nod,

"This morning she did." He replied. Alby then turned to Gen, a small smile on his face,

"Looks like you're officially apart of The Gladers. Congratulations." He smiled, "Clint told me about your progress today, I'm impressed- You'll make a great Med-Jack." he said.

"Thank you." Gen smiled, "Anything to do my part." She said, the second rule of the Gladers echoing in her head.

"Good." He smiled, "I hate to say it, but we have a lot of injuries within The Glade as well as some 'impatient patients'." He smirked.

"Minho. Gally." Newt coughed.

"You." Alby smirked, his eyes flicking to Newt who shrugged,

"What do you mean me?" He asked and after earning an 'are you kidding me?' look from Alby, he sighed, "So, I don't like bloody needles? Who does!?" He exclaimed, crossing his arms over his chest. Nudging him softly, Gen chuckled,

"If you cut yourself anytime while I'm here, I promise it won't hurt when I stitch it up." She cooed as if he was but a small child. Newt tried his best to maintain a serious expression, but as Gen came closer, rubbing his back, she saw the tough boy demeanour start to crack, "Poor little Newtie." She cooed,

"I'm not a bloody child!" He snapped, a small smile gracing his features for only a few seconds before he turned his back on both her and Alby who both watched him with amusement.

"Now, now, Newtie." Alby mocked, earning a glare from Newt at the apparent nickname that had stuck,

"Newtie?" He questioned, "Why don't we all just change out names to end in a 'Y'?" He asked, "You can have your name, I'll be Newtie, You can be Genny and Minho can be Shucky." He smirked, "Everyone else is easy, Clinty, Benny, Jeffy." Gen shoved him,

"You done?" She asked, Newt flashed her a grin,

"Never." Looking back to Alby, Gen noticed a frown on his face,

"What's wrong?" she asked. Following his gaze, Newt frowned, understanding immediately,

"They're late." He explained, staring at the Maze.

"It's Minho. It's gotta be." Gen muttered, clenching her fists, she had warned him, she tried to protect him. "I have to find him!" Running forward, Gen broke into a sprint, running straight for the Maze, behind her, she heard everyone scream her name as she passed the large walls either side of the Maze entrance. She had officially broken the first rule,

"Gen!" Looking over her shoulder, Gen caught only a glimpse of Newt before she felt him wrap his arms around her waist, lifting her into the air,

"Let me go!" She screamed, kicking in his hold as he walked backwards, in an attempt to escape the Maze, "I have to find Minho! It's my fault! It's my fault if he dies!" She screamed, clawing at Newt's hands that were wrapped tightly around her, giving no sign of weakness,

"You can't go in there!" Newt yelled back at her as they moved out of the Maze, "You'll bloody die with them!"

"Let. Me. Go!" She cried once more, using her fist to punch him as hard as possible in the only place she could- his lower stomach. Letting her go instantly, Gen was thrown to the ground as Newt doubled over in pain, clutching at his stomach. Her freedom however, was short lived as when she tried to scramble to her feet to run into the Maze once more, Newt pounced on her, turning her over and sitting on her lower stomach,

"You can't go in there." He told her and as she tried to use her hands to push him off of her, he grabbed each wrist with ease, pinning them either side of her head, "Do you want to be punished? You've broken the first rule and now you're going to spend a night in the bloody Slammer!" He cried angrily at her. Looking up at him, Gen noticed that the others had all surrounded them, eyes locked onto the pair of them, an eerie silence had fallen across the crowd.

"What's the good of having rules if you just let people die!" She yelled back at him,

"No one lasts a bloody night in the Maze! There's no point you dying too!" He retorted,

"Why do you even care so much? I'm just the Greenie!" She yelled stubbornly. Newt fell silent, his eyes examining her face before he narrowed his eyes,

"You're my bloody responsibility, that's why. You're _my_ Greenie and I'm not letting you kill yourself." He hissed before sitting upright, letting her hands go altogether. Gen was still, her eyes fixated onto Newt before he glanced around at the crowd that was dead silent

"You've proved your point, Newt." It was Alby who spoke in a quiet tone, moving his way to the front of the crowd and placing a hand on Newt's shoulder. The entire crowd was frozen in a stunned silence as if they had never seen Newt act in that way before. Shrugging off Alby's hand, Newt moved off of Gen and stood upright, leaving her where she lay stuck within a feeling of both guilt and anger and what had just happened.

"Look, they're coming! It's Minho! He looks hurt!" Sitting upright, Gen looked around at where the Keeper of the Cooks, Siggy was pointing to and as he said, Ben and Adam both had an arm around Minho who was limping towards them with a pained expression. Standing up onto her feet, Gen stared at them, she had half a mind to run into the Maze once more, but that thought was short lived as Newt moved beside her, wrapping his hand around her wrist, "They'll make it." He whispered, his tone becoming soft once more as if the events only a few minutes ago had never happened. But Gen just ignored him, her eyes locked onto the Runners,

"Come on!" She heard the others call as the large gates had started to move, threatening to lock them within the Maze with every second that passed. As they noticed the Maze starting to close, Adam and Ben quickened their pace, causing more pain to Minho who gave out a cry. Gen felt her very being freeze as she watched them, unable to move, unable to speak, she was completely frozen as she watched them. From the corner of her eye, she saw Newt glance at her,

"They'll make it." He whispered, shifting his fingers down to intertwine them with hers, "They'll bloody make it." He repeated giving her hand a soft squeeze, but she couldn't hear him, all she could hear was Minho's pained cries with every step he took and the cries of the boys behind her, all screaming for them to hurry. They were so close now, only a few more steps and they would be out. Passing through the walls, due to the limited space, Ben was forced to drop Minho's weight, shifting in front of him and Adam who was clearly struggling with Minho's weight. Before she could even think twice, Gen let go of Newt's hand, running past Ben who had just got out to grab Minho's shirt. Pulling as hard as she could, she pulled Minho out of the Maze and (Not part of the plan) onto her, falling in a heap, Gen groaned as she hit the ground with a thud, Minho landing on top of her, crushing her. As the boys all cheered and clapped Adam and Ben on the back, Minho lifted his head to look at Gen,

"Hey, girly." He smirked. Narrowing her eyes, Gen lifted her right hand to slap Minho across the face, much to his surprise, before pushing him off of her. Rolling onto his back, Minho watched in confusion as Gen crawled to her feet, "What was that for?" He exclaimed. Crossing her arms, Gen walked around him, stopping at his ankle that was, as she had predicted, swollen and even more bruised than before,

"I told you not to run. Maybe next time you'll listen." She snapped. Looking back up at Newt, Gen locked eyes with him for only a few seconds before she stepped over Minho and pushed past him, "Let me know when you want me in the Slammer." She muttered as she moved past him

"Gen." Newt called, turning around to face her. Gen stopped in her tracks, looking over her shoulder at Newt, "I'm sorry. There are rules and-"

"I get it." Gen replied, "You don't need to explain yourself to me, Newt." and without another word, she turned on her heel and strode off.

**A/N: So, Gen is going to the Slammer! Hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Please let me know what you think!**


	7. The Slammer

It was Alby who had lead Genevieve to the Slammer, a caged box that acted like a jail for the Glades. The terms, which she assumed where passed by Newt was a night in the Slammer with no food. Easy? Perhaps. She had so foolishly not eaten the entire day and knowing her luck, it would more than likely be a freezing night.

"Just one night. Newt will come by in the morning to get you out." Alby told her, opening the door to the Slammer. Gen was silent, all she did was try to help and now she was getting punished thanks to Newt. Maybe she was overreacting, after all, Newt _was _just trying to make sure she didn't get herself killed but Minho really could've died and the only thing Newt and Alby were concerned about was someone entering the Maze who wasn't a Runner. Shaking her head, Gen settled herself down in the corner of the Slammer, giving a small note of goodbye to Alby who locked the cage and went off back to the camp. She supposed she couldn't be too harsh on Newt, she did after all break the rules, technically, she broke two of them- but Newt let the second one slide. Bringing her knees up to her chest, Gen stared straight ahead, she was told the rules, but she still broke them and now was blaming every one else for her mistakes. It was all so stupid,

"Pst." Looking around, Gen peered through the branch bars, perhaps it was just the win, "I'm over here." This time, Gen was certain it was someone, looking to the door, Gen crawled forward on all fours to get a better look at her visitor, "Hey, girly." Smiling softly, Gen set her eyes onto Minho, who was sitting beside the Slammer with a plate of food in his hand, his once again bandaged ankle was resting out in front of him. This time he promised he would take her advice,

"What are you doing here?" She asked with a frown. Minho rolled his eyes,

"What do you think I'm here for, shuck?" He muttered sarcastically, "I'm kinda the reason you're in here, so I got you some food." He whispered, looking around to make sure no one was looking. Looking back at her, he flashed her a grin before he ever so carefully passed her an apple,

"This is it?" She asked, taking the apple. Minho scoffed,

"If that's how you wanna be I'll take my food and go elsewhere." Laughing lightly, Gen took a bite of the apple before raising her eyebrows at him,

"Happy?" She asked. Minho smirked, picking up a piece of meat and stuffing it into his mouth,

"Very." He replied with a mouthful of food. After swallowing, he once again looked around before he leaned forward, placing his forehead against the branch bars, "I ah... just wanted to say... thanks... for... ah, you know." Freezing, Gen stared at him, was he trying to thank her? Raising her eyebrow, she smirked,

"For what?' She asked innocently. Minho rolled his eyes,

"You know what." He muttered, "That's all you're getting. Just be lucky I'm wasting my time and food on you."

"I feel so lucky." she deadpanned,

"Minho!" Whipping his head around, Minho laughed,

"Hey!" He called back at Alby who was walking towards the Slammer, an irritated look on his face,

"What are you doing?" He asked. Minho shrugged his shoulders,

"Talking to my saviour." He retorted with a slight smirk. Alby narrowed his eyes,

"Maybe if you want to talk so bad, you should join her." He said, obviously expecting the complete opposite answer to the words that then escaped Minho's lips,

"I would love too." Staring at him, Gen was pretty sure that he was contemplating on whether or not Minho was bluffing. There was a silence between them before Alby sighed,

"Fine. You can stay here." Shifting past Minho, who burst into laughter, Alby unlocked the Slammer, giving enough time for Minho to crawl in (With his plate of food) before Alby closed it,

"Why is he in here?" Gen cried, "He didn't do anything!" She argued. Alby shrugged,

"Trust me, locking him in here will give everyone else a well deserved break." He smirked,

"Was that a joke, Alby? I didn't think you were capable." Minho smirked, moving back into the Slammer where Gen originally was, his back propped up against the cage.

"I'll see you both tomorrow." Alby smiled, looking between them before he left once again. As he moved away, Gen turned to face Minho who wore a serious expression, staring straight through her,

"Minho?" She whispered, moving towards the dark haired boy who raised his eyebrow, seemingly returning to reality,

"What?"

"Why did you do that?" She asked, "You don't have to be in here, why would you want to?" Sitting next to Minho with her back against the cage, Gen took another bite of her apple, watching Minho was was still staring ahead, one knee drawn up to his chest with his arm resting on it, smiling lightly, he glanced at her,

"What I tell you doesn't leave the Slammer, got it?" He whispered, giving her a stern look. Gen gave him a small nod of understanding, "I nearly died today. I thought I was a goner... if it weren't for you, Adam and I would have been crushed between the walls." Minho said, looking down at his hands, "I can't be afraid. As the Keeper of the shucking Runners I can't be scared of anything."

"Everyone is scared of something." Gen whispered, frowning slightly. Minho frowned at her,

"Would you just listen to me? This isn't a god damn sob story." Gen giggled lightly, it was good to see his light-hearted side again, "The point is. You saved me and I appreciate it. I also owe you." He added nodding slightly, "Hence why I'm stuck in here with you."

"Oh? You're doing this for me?" She asked, placing her hand over her chest with mock flattery.

"Yeah, you get the pleasure of my company." Minho replied. Sighing softly, Gen tried her best to get comfortable, but with no luck,

"Whoever made this needs to be stabbed." Gen mocked, shifting every way possible in hopes of finding some kind of comfort,

"Yeah, good luck with that." Minho smirked, crossing his arms over his chest, his eyes locked onto her, "You can thank Gally and the builders for this masterpiece." He mocked,

"You're the shuck who got yourself thrown in here." Gen muttered,

"Only because you were the slinthead who dived into the Maze after me." He retorted, "Now, now, Gen. I know I'm attractive, but you don't need to throw yourself into the Maze to get my attention." he mocked. Gen shoved him,

"Me? Trying to get _your _attention? Please." She scoffed, turning away from him to look out at the camp fire in the distance before she looked back at him, "All I'd have to do is watch you nearly kill yourself to get your attention." She smirked. Minho raised his eyebrow,

"Oh? And what if I just pick another Med-Jack instead of you?" He asked. Gen smiled,

"Impossible. No one can put up with you." Finally finding a place of slight comfort, Gen sighed softly, her back to Minho whom she awaited a witty reply from,

"Guess that's why you're my new Med-Jack." Minho muttered and Gen imagined him to be smirking as he spoke, "You should get some sleep." Gen blinked,

"How can you sleep in the cold?" She grumbled, her brow furrowing.

"You get used to it, Greenie." He retorted. Gen turned over to face Minho who was laying on his back, eyes closed,

"Minho..." She whispered, shifting slightly, Minho groaned,

"What?"

"Don't we get blankets or something? Can't we ask Newt?" She asked. Minho smirked,

"Yeah, just yell out his name. He'll come running." Sighing, Gen turned away from him, back to her place of slight comfort. She should have expected the sarcastic remark. Hearing Minho groan, she listened to him shift,

"Are you going to complain all night?" He asked, looking over her shoulder, Gen saw that he was propped up on his elbow, watching with a neutral expression,

"It's cold and the only reason I'm in here is because you didn't listen to me so... yes." She sad before turning back over. There was a moment of silence before Minho lay back down, shifting until Gen could feel his chest against her back, "What are you doing?" Gen snapped, glancing back around at Minho who was directly behind her,

"Shutting you up." He replied before placing his arms around her waist and closing his eyes. Placing her head back down onto the hard ground, Gen was silent, she could feel Minho's warm breath on her neck and to say the least, it made her slightly uncomfortable- but at least she was warm. "Are you going to go to sleep now?" Minho whispered, "Or do I have to sing you a lullaby?" Giggling softly, Gen could not help but smile to herself as she shut her tired eyes,

"No, just let me steal your warmth and that should be enough." She whispered back. Making an 'Mmmhmm' sound, Minho fell silent, allowing Gen to fall into the blissful sensation that was sleep.


	8. New Rules

"Are you bloody kidding me?! Minho you shuck!" Opening her eyes, Gen found herself facing Minho, still wrapped in his arms. She could swear she could hear yelling, "Minho!" It called once more, shifting in Minho's hold, Gen rubbed her eyes, __That voice...Oh no. __Pushing Minho away, Gen sat up, causing Minho to quickly opened his eyes, staring at her like she was insane,

"What was that for?" He asked, slowly sitting up to look at her, Gen however was frozen, staring at the shadowed figure that was watching them with a not so impressed look on his face

"What are you doing in here?" Newt asked angrily, his attention focused only on Minho, who held his hands up in defence,

"Simmer down, Newt. Alby put me here." He explained with a smile. Newt then looked to Gen,

"What?' She muttered with a slight frown. Newt stared at her before he stepped back, opening the cage door with one hand before he stormed off. Minho and Gen exchanged looks before they headed to the opening,

"What's his problem?" Gen asked as she climbed out of the Slammer, turning to hold out her hand to Minho, who took it.

"You." He replied as Gen helped him out. "Alby told me what he did."

"What do you mean?" Gen asked, placing her arm around his waist and allowing Minho to wrap his around her shoulders.

"You know, tackling you. Not letting you enter the Maze. Apparently no one has seen him so angry. Guess you really hit a nerve, hey?"

"How is that my fault?" She retorted. Minho laughed lightly,

"Because, you're _his _Greenie." He said, "Each month someone gets tasked with getting the Greenie. Newt got you. Last month, Alby got Adam, the month before that Frypan got Jonah and so on." Minho explained as they slowly walked towards the Med-Jack building, "If anything happens to you, it's on Newt."

"Why did he get so lucky?" She smirked in reply. Minho shrugged,

"He called dibs." Gen couldn't help but laugh at his statement,

"I don't believe you." Minho smirked,

"Wise choice. It was just his turn to take the Greenie." He said, "Where are you taking me?" Gen looked at him, raising her eyebrow,

"Where do you think, I'm taking you cripple?" Minho sighed irritably, looking ahead with a dull expression- he really hated seeing a Med-Jack apparently. Leading him into the building, Gen sat him down on one of the handmade chairs that sat in the corner before she stepped back to look at him, "Move from here and I'll find you." She smiled, her eyes flicking down to his ankle before back to his eyes.

"So, I'm a little slow at the moment, so what?" He smirked, "Could still outrun you any day." Gen rolled her eyes, turning her back on Minho and moving towards one of the shelves, "What are you doing?" He then asked, his tone becoming more serious,

"I'm just getting some cream to stop the swelling." She said picking up a white cream before turning back to Minho, "Show me your ankle."

"No."

"No?" Gen rolled her eyes at the stubbornness that was Minho, "Are you serious?" Moving towards him, Gen kneeled down in front of him, "Are you just going to deal with the pain by yourself? Convince everyone to become your crutch?" She asked. Minho shrugged,

"Who do I have to convince if I have you?" He replied charmingly. Gen watched him for only a second before she looked down a small smile crossing her features,

"I won't always be here. I have other people that need me." She said crossing her legs and pulling his leg onto her lap,

"Who says that they need you more than I do?" Minho scoffed as Gen took the bandage off and started to rub the cream onto his ankle,

"I did a few seconds ago if you were paying attention." She smirked, her eyes fixated onto his ankle, "Big muscular guy like you'll be fine." Minho was silent, his arms crossed as he watched her. At least he was being cooperative, she had actually heard many stories from Clint about what it was like trying to deal with Minho. On one occasion, Minho had a rather nasty cut on his forearm that required stitches. Long story short, Minho wasn't exactly cooperative as he was at the moment and ended up breaking his nose. Completely on accident of course, but it did end with Minho spending a night in the Slammer. Once the cream was applied, Gen stood up, turning her back on Minho once more to retrieve a new, clean bandage. After a short pause, Gen spoke once more, "Do you think Newt will forgive me?" Gen asked lightly, her hand lingering on the bandage as she waited for Minho to respond,

"He already has." Turning back towards Minho, she raised her eyebrow,

"What?" He muttered and it was then she realised it wasn't Minho who spoke in the first place. Turning to the door, Gen set her eyes onto the shaggy blonde himself, who was leaning on the doorframe, his eyes locked onto her and Minho,

"I would like to remind you about the last rule." He spoke in a matter-of-factly tone of voice that made Minho laugh,

"What? Jealous, Newt?" He asked with a smirk. Gen shot him a dirty look,

"What would Newt be jealous about, shuck?" She muttered, "Jealous about not being a slinthead who doesn't listen maybe?" At that moment, Gen heard a small involuntary chuckle from Newt, turning back to him, Gen narrowed her eyes, "What are you laughing at?" She hissed, "Don't get me started on you." Newt raised his eyebrow,

"Nice to see you're in a bloody cheerful mood."

"You locked me in the Slammer."

"You broke the bloody rules." Newt retorted. Gen took a small breath before she turned her attention away from Newt, she didn't mean to snap, but she had no idea just how difficult following the rules could be, especially when she had the choice of saving someone's life and obeying the rules of the Glade. Kneeling back down in front of Minho, Gen started to wrap his ankle, growing steadily uncomfortable within the silence, she could feel Newt's eyes watching her, but chose to ignore him. However, as soon as she finished with Minho's ankle, Newt cleared his throat,

"What is it?" Minho asked on behalf of Gen, a mischievous smirk on his face as he locked eyes with Newt, who ignored him, instead moving into the room. Gen stood, looking over her shoulder at Newt who was at least a head taller than her,

"Can I talk to you?" He asked, his eyes locked onto her, giving her the feeling that she had no other choice but to go with him. Looking back at Minho, Gen gave him a small nod before she looked back to Newt,

"Alright." Pushing past Newt, Gen headed for the door, Newt close at her heels and as they exited into the bright sunlight, Newt grabbed her wrist, pulling her to his side,

"I won't bloody apologise for what I did." He said, his tone wasn't angry, or serious, it was just normal, the same tone he used when he normally spoke. Gen watched him, listening to every word her spoke, "Like it or not, I saved your bloody life." He said, pulling her hand away from him, Gen took a step back,

"I don't know who I am. I don't know who I was. It's been two days, Newt. So forgive me if I'm not the perfect Glader." She said her eyes boring into his, "I don't expect you to take it easy on me, but if the places were reversed and it was you in the Maze and not Minho, I'd have still picked you in a heartbeat. No question." Newt gave a small nod, his eyes falling to his feet, "Maybe I just don't understand... but why can't you just understand that no, I won't say I'm sorry for breaking the rules and if the time comes that I need to do it again. I will."

"You're far too bloody innocent and good to be here." He said, "People die, Gen. The sooner you learn that, the better off you'll be." Looking at Newt, Gen gave him a soft smile,

"Since when is innocence a crime?" She asked. Newt shrugged his shoulders,

"I guess I'm just not used to seeing it in the Glade." Gen tilted her head at him, listening carefully as he continued to speak, "Alby has given me instructions..." He muttered, "Regarding what happened this morning."

"What are they?" She asked. Newt took a small breath and something told Gen she wasn't going to like what he was about to say,

"Alby has given specific instructions for me to ensure that you and Minho are not alone together unless for extreme medical conditions where you are to treat him." He sighed softly, rather embarrassed at the new rule. Gen stared at him in disbelief,

"Really? We share a room." She argued. Newt shook his head,

"Alby said you're sharing with me now." He muttered back at her. Gen turned on her heel, heading back to Med-Jack building, "Where are you bloody going?" Frowned, following her back into the building where Minho was still sitting on the chair, his eyebrows raised as they entered,

"I'm saying goodbye to my secret lover." She replied sarcastically, turning to face Newt who rolled his eyes.

"Who's your secret lover?' Minho asked, his eyes flicking between them. Gen looked at him with a serious expression on her face,

"You are." She answered,

"Sweet." Minho grinned, winking at Gen which did _not _help her situation at all, "Guess that explains why we're roomies." He added.

"Ex-roomies."

"What?"

"Yeah." Gen began, "I'm sharing a room with Newt now." She replied. Minho gave Newt a mock look of sadness,

"You jealous shuck!" He cried at Newt who was clearly just about over Minho altogether, "Stealing my girl now? Find your own!" Looking back at Minho, Gen grinned,

"We were just never meant to be." She replied dramatically,

"Are you bloody done yet?" Newt finally gave in, taking a calming breath, "It was Alby's rule not mine." He added, "By the way, Alby wants to see you." Newt said before he turned on his heel and headed back out the door, leaving Minho and Gen alone for the last time.


	9. Stories of The Dead

As soon as Minho was able to stand on his own, Gen left him in Clint's hands and proceeded to search for Alby whom, Newt had told her wished to speak with her. Of course, Alby was in the last place Gen thought to search, yet the most obvious; his room. Knocking three times, Gen took a breath, her eyes scanning the area around her before the dark teenager opened the door, smiling as he set his eyes onto her,

"Hello Gen." He smiled. Gen returned a small smile as he gestured for her to enter. Alby's room was much like Minho's in the sense that it really didn't have that much in it- but at least it had a couple of chairs. Sitting down across from Alby, she crossed her legs, waiting to be in trouble from the leader of the Glade himself. However, Alby just continued to smile,

"This is about Minho, isn't it?" She sighed, breaking the peaceful silence. Sitting back, Alby placed his hands together,

"Newt told me he found the pair of you together in a rather romantic way." He said. Gen rolled his eyes,

"Of course he did." She muttered, "So, you're brilliant idea was to have me share a room with Newt? What makes you think I won't just break the rules with blondie? Because clearly I just live to break rules around here." She snapped angrily, crossing her arms over her chest. She could not believe she was being accused of such nonsense and even if it were true, what would it matter? Alby however, seemingly understanding of her short temper just smiled,

"I understand your frustration." He began, "And as for sharing a room with Newt? It was his idea."

"And that isn't an issue for you?" She asked, dumbfounded by the entire situation. Alby shook his head,

"Newt respects the rules unlike Minho." he said. Gen took a breath, her eyes meeting his,

"This rule... why is it even a rule? What would it matter if I woke up and decided I loved him or any other Glader? What would it matter if Minho woke up thinking he loved me? Or anyone for that matter?"

"Because I don't want to have to deal with the consequences should either yourself or Minho be killed." He replied. Gen nodded, it was a fair answer, a fair call,

"What makes you think that should I fall for Minho that, that automatically makes him the centre of my world?" This time Alby laughed, much to Gen's surprise,

"It's not you I'm worried about, Gen." He replied and as those words reached her ears, she dropped the subject entirely. She really needed to learn when to shut her mouth, but she guessed that Alby was so used to dealing with Minho that he had grown a patience that was hard to wear thin.

"Was that it then?" She asked, "I can promise that you'll have nothing to worry about from me." She replied, her eyes falling to her lap- her fingers were gently fumbling with the tattered end of her black top.

"No, I have something else I would like to add." Alby said, "Just so we're on the same page." Gen looked back up at him, forcing herself to remain eye-contact with him, "I suppose now you know about Rosalind." He said, "Or if you haven't you would have seen her name on the wall- crossed out." Gen gave a small nod, she had been Alby's girl if memory her served her correctly,

"Yes, Clint mentioned her once or twice I think." She lied- in fact, Clint had told her quite a bit about the two other girls that were once Gladers. Alby looked down at his hands,

"Rosalind was the third Glader, she arrived a month after Nick who arrived a month after me." He explained, "She was beautiful and strong. She was a Runner and she was mine." His eyes flicked back up to meet hers, "Back then, I wasn't the leader. That title belonged to Nick and in some ways, I guess it still does. He was my closest friend- I told him everything, how I felt. Rosalind was my first love." Watching him a slight frown formed on Gen's face,

"And she was killed in the Maze?" She asked. Alby smirked,

"If only it were that simple. Little did I know, Nick had also been in love with Rosalind and for three weeks before she died they had been seeing each other behind my back. When I did find out, I realised that I was the last to know- she broke my heart and the things I said to her. Those are words I would dare not even speak now. I couldn't even tell her I was sorry. That day she never made it out of the Maze. I blamed myself and I hated Nick until the moment he died..." Gen was speechless, Alby showed no emotion on his face and it was clear that it was a subject that had been well past the stage of bitterness and pain, but Gen still felt sorry for Alby,

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be." Alby replied, "I didn't tell you that because I wanted sympathy, I told you because I needed you to understand. The Gladers are a close family. We look out for each other. A situation like mine would cause a lot of trouble within The Glade and especially with Minho's important role in our society, he of all people needs to not have distractions like that." Gen nodded, she understood.

"I won't go near Minho. Trust me, there isn't anything going on between us." She said. Alby smiled,

"I know and I trust you both. I know you'll make the right decision in the end." he said as he stood. Gen followed his lead as the pair walked into the light, "I'll talk to you at a later date." Alby smiled at Gen before he closed the door, disappearing completely.

Gen kept walking, she figured that Newt had the Sloppers move her hammock from Minho's room, so there was no other place for her to go except Newt's room or the Med-Jack building and quite frankly, the Med-Jack building seemed more appealing than Newt's room.

"Gen!" Looking to her left, Gen noticed the young Slopper Samuel running towards her, panting slightly as he reached her,

"What is it?' She asked, looking down at the boy who was no more than fourteen,

"It's Minho. I think he's hurt." He panted causing Gen's eyes to widen in alarm,

"Where is he?"

"At the Deadheads." He explained. Gen frowned, why on earth would he be there? The Deadhead's served as the graveyard for the Glade and no one really went there at all.

"Show me where he is." Gen said, chasing after the boy that sprinted towards the forest and Gen hoped to god she wasn't too late.


	10. The Deadheads

"He's just up here!" Samuel cried, his short legs carrying him as quickly as possible towards the ever looming forest, that even scared Gen a little. As they entered the forest, she slowed her pace to a steady jog and Samuel lead her further into it,

"How far up is he?" Stopping in his tracks, Samuel pointing just up ahead,

"Just over there. Minho said I couldn't come any closer." He said at that moment, Gen rolled her eyes, the more she had been told about how Samuel had even _found _Minho, the more she thought this was all some kind of foul trick. Moving forward, Gen sighed, she was in the forest now, so she may as well just deal with Minho now rather than later,

"Minho?" Calling out his name, Gen's eyes scanned the ahead area,

"Hey, Girly! Over here!" She heard Minho call sarcastically, picking up her pace, Gen's eyes fell onto the dark haired Runner himself laying on the ground, his chest rising and falling rapidly, "Well, you took your time didn't you? Meeting up with your other secret lover, Newt?" He asked. Gen ignored his comment, her eyes examining his body for any visible injuries,

"What the hell happened to you?" She exclaimed drawing closer to Minho, _So... maybe he wasn't faking. _She thought to herself, immediately feeling rather guilty at the doubt she had.

"Well," Minho began, slowly forcing himself to sit up, "There was a... flower." He muttered, "In the tree... I ah... wanted it and... kinda fell out of the tree."

"Are you kidding me?" Gen deadpanned, her eyes locked onto Minho who raised his eyebrow, looking down at his twig covered clothes,

"Do I look like I'm joking?" Gen shrugged, there were a million things she could have said at that moment, but she decided to keep her mouth shut,

"So where is this flower of yours?" She asked, Minho looked upward and following his gaze, Gen set her eyes onto a lovely red flower at least the size of her hand that was... rather high up in a tree; the tree Gen presumed to be the one Minho had fallen from due to the unfortunate fact that he was a shuck. "Okay, and what do you want me to do? Risk my safety and get you your pretty flower?" She asked. Minho looked around before he took a breath,

"Ah no." He retorted, "Help me up."

"There are at least ten other boys that are not only stronger than I am, but also closer and more likely to be less sceptical about the situation than me." She said, pursing her lips, "Oh! And there isn't a rule saying you can't be alone with them!" She added, placing her hands on her hips. Minho scoffed,

"Yeah well... I'm stubborn and proud and... oh look, you're already here." He replied sarcastically. Gen rolled her eyes but reluctantly stepped over to him, holding out her hand,

"If I get in trouble, I will end you." She hissed as Minho took her hand,

"I promise I won't tell Newt." He smirked, "I'd hate to get in between you two." Hauling him to his feet, Minho leant forward wrapping his arms around Gen and pulling her into a tight hug. Holding her arms out awkwardly, Gen cleared her throat,

"What are you doing?" She asked.

"My ankle hurts." Minho replied,

"So... you're just going to hug me until the pain stops?"

"Oh, trust me." Minho began, pulling back, his hands clutching her shoulders as he struggled to remained balanced on one leg, "I'm not thrilled to have to touch you either..."

"Shall I remind you about the ten other boys who you could have called? Or maybe even Samuel, the perfectly capable boy you sent to find me?" She reminded him much to Minho's disliking,

"Yeah well... I didn't want them seeing me like that." He grimaced. Gen gave him a soft smile,

"Alright tough guy. How about this, I'll get Clint and we'll just say you were running around The Glade, trying to keep your fitness up and you tripped? It's a better story than the flower one." She said, Minho gave a small nod,

"Okay." He nodded, "I'll stay here."

"Good idea." She replied condescendingly, helping him sit down against the tree trunk. As she turned away, she couldn't help but think about his original story and the red flower. Was it important? Turning back around to face Minho, Gen took a breath,

"Hey, Minho." She began. Minho raised his eyebrow at her,

"Hey, Gen."

"Why were you after the flower anyway?" She asked. At that moment, Minho looked away from her, crossing his arms over his chest similar to what that of a small child would do.

"I liked the colour." He replied,

"You're lying." She smirked. Minho looked back at her,

"Shouldn't you go and get Clint before Newt finds us together?"

"I'll go when you tell me what you were _really _doing here in the Deadheads." She said. She was persistent and that was something Minho would just have to deal with. Realising that she wasn't bluffing, Minho rolled his eyes,

"I thought it would have looked nice in your hair. I wanted to get you something to make up for the fact that Newt's mad at you because of me and yeah, that's pretty much it." He finished, "Are you happy now? Can you go get Clint?" Gen giggled softly and dare she say, she even slightly blushed,

"You know, an apology would have been just as good." Minho scoffed,

"I tried to do something nice, that's a good enough apology to me."

"But you didn't succeed in doing something nice." Gen pointed out.

"But, it's the thought that counts." Minho retorted with a broad smile that suggested that there was no point arguing the point any further.

"You're a shuck." She muttered,

"And you're also a shuck." Minho replied with the same broad smile. Groaning, Gen turned on her heel, and straight out of the Deadheads.

"Stupid shuck and his stupid flower." She mumbled as she stormed towards Med-Jack building. As she entered, she was surprised to find Jeff and Clint gathered around the shelves while Newt was in the corner, his eyes were staring straight ahead.

"Here you go, Newt." Clint said, handing Newt a small bottle of liquid, "Let me know if you need anything else." As he shoved the bottle into his pants pockets, Gen purposely, kicked her foot against the door, signalling to them that she was there. As each of their eyes focused on her, Gen regretted her decision to draw their attention in the first place and instead, kept her head down as she walked over to Clint, "What's the matter?" He asked, leaning forward, Gen whispered in Clint's ear,

"Minho's in the Deadheads, he was running and tripped over. I think it's his ankle again." Pulling back, Clint gave a small nod, before he looked to Jeff, pulling him over and whispering his message to Jeff who picked up a couple of different creams and bandages before heading out the door,

"What was that about?" Newt asked, looking between the pair. Clint smiled and it was times like this that Gen wished the guy could just take a hint and realise that when someone whispers something in your ear, it usually means that they don't want the other person to tell anyone else,

"Minho's in the Deadheads, tripped and hurt his ankle." He explained. Newt gave a soft nod, his eyes not once meeting with Gen's,

"Bloody hell." He muttered, "Someone should probably keep an eye on him for now on." Newt suggested as he stood up, his hand in his pocket, presumably clinging to the bottle Clint had given him. Moving towards him, Gen attempted to make eye-contact with him, but no matter what she did, Newt avoided her gaze, "Thanks Clint." He mumbled before he headed out the door, Gen close at his heels, "How long are you going to bloody follow me?' He asked, not looking at her. Gen was silent, thinking of something appropriate to say,

"However long it takes for you to actually talk to me." She replied,

"I spoke to you before, I asked you how long you're going to bloody follow me." He retorted, "You were with Minho in the Deadheads after I told you it was against the rules." He muttered, Running up behind him, she grabbed his sleeve, pulling Newt around to face her,

"I just want to be friends." She pleaded, her eyes locking with his. All she had wanted since she had first met Newt was to be his friend. He was the first person who saw potential in her and the last thing she wanted was to ruin that because of her stupid mistakes, "I know, I make stupid decisions and I've already broken the rules... but can I get a second chance?" She asked, "I just want to be friends... Please Newt?" Newt looked at her, his brow was furrowed, "Please." She repeated. Newt gave a small nod, his eyes falling to the ground,

"Alright. We're friends." He sighed. Gen smiled, letting go of his sleeve, she felt relieved that she was now friends with the person whom she was to be sharing a room with. Turning away from him, she was surprised to find that Newt spoke once more, "Ah, Gen?" Looking over her shoulder at him, she raised her eyebrow in question, "Would you like to join me for lunch? I don't think you've eaten all day." Smiling broadly, Gen nodded,

"Sure. I would love to."

**A/N: So, what are your thoughts on this chapter! I love your feedback! Actually, the feedback through the reviews have actually given me so many ideas! So if there is anything you want to see happen in later chapters, send me a PM or just leave it in the comments! Thank you so much! 3 **


	11. Friendship and a Test

Moving towards where the builders were scheduled to have lunch, Gen felt rather uneasy at having to be around Gally. Since the Fight Circle incident, he had refused to speak to her and addressed her with huffs and her personal favourite, the 'I'm better than you' look- Gally edition. Gen would have loved to become friends with the builder, but it just seemed like too much trouble and the last things she needed was a rumour that she and Gally had something going on. In fact, if those rumours about her and Minho and her and Newt and whoever else she seemed to talk to, would just stop altogether, that would be excellent. Pulling at Newt's sleeve, Gen moved beside him, causing him to turn his head to look at her with a slight frown,

"Can we go somewhere else?" Gen asked, her eyes pleading Newt. As Newt was about to open his mouth, he was cut off by a familiar voice,

"I see you brought a guest, Newt." Gally said as Gen quickly moved away from Newt and made there way over to where at least six boys were sitting in a circle having lunch,

"Always a pleasure, Gally." Gen smiled as they stopped only a metre from the group. Gally narrowed his eyes slightly, looking her up and down- the Gally edition at it's finest.

"There's a rumour going around about you." He smirked, "Would you like to know what it is?" he asked, tilting his head. Gen smiled, taking a step towards the muscular teen only to have her wrist grabbed by Newt, something that was becoming more and more regular as they spent more time together.

"Only if I can tell you the ones about you." She retorted with a smile. The boys who were clearly supporters of Gally and his not so sharp wit, all turned to look at him, egging him on to say whatever nasty things they had come up with about her,

"Gally. Enough." Newt snapped before he could open his mouth to speak. Gally stared at Newt with a large amount of disliking in his eyes,

"They're about you too, Newt." He said, "looks like you're not as 'law abiding' as you like to think you are." He smirked,

"Just like you." Newt replied coldly, "Anyway, the only reason you're so bloody sour is because Gen lasted longer in your precious circle than what you wanted her to." He snapped before turning around, tugging Gen along with him, "Enjoy your lunch."

"What are the rumours Gally's talking about?" Gen asked as Newt continued to lead her away from the boys who were all wolf-whistling as they left,

"They're stupid." He replied,

"What are they?" Sighing, Newt stopped, letting go of her hand and instead moving to pick up a plate of food,

"They're stupid bloody rumours, that's it." He said before he started walking again, "We'll eat elsewhere." Gen sighed, she was growing tired of these rumours and all the drama despite it only being a couple of days since she had arrived in the Glade. Offering her the plate, Gen took an apple, taking a bite out of it,

"You're a fan of apples?" He asked, Gen raised her eyebrow at him,

"Yeah, they're my favourite." She said, taking another bite. Newt smirked, looking ahead,

"Sure thing. You can have your bloody apples then." After swallowing the second bite, Gen shoved him lightly,

"What's that meant to mean?' She asked. Newt smiled,

"What? I don't like apples."

"How can you not like apples?" She exclaimed, "That's like saying you don't like the rain." She muttered. There was a silence as Newt awkwardly looked away from her,

"You don't like the rain?" She exclaimed once more. Newt held his palms up in front of him,

"It just wets me and makes my leg hurt." He replied, "What good is it?"

"Have you any idea what rain smells like?" Gen asked. Newt laughed,

"You're basing your bloody argument on how the rain smells?" Newt asked,

"Sometimes, it's the small things that makes something beautiful." Gen replied. "Just like the Glade. Sure it's a prison and we're trapped here, but it's the people here that makes it better. Makes it beautiful." Looking at her, Newt smiled,

"How can someone find good in everything?" He asked, Gen tilted her head,

"What do you mean?"

"Let's do a test then, I'll say someone's name and you tell me what you think of them." Newt said. Gen smiled as he faced her, still holding the plate in his hands,

"Alby."

"A strong leader who cares about everyone in the Glade and stays strong despite his loss. He's an inspiration to the others and to me." She smiled. Newt grinned, somewhat amused at her answer,

"Alright then... What about Clint?" Gen took a breath,

"He's... a little shy and he needs to learn to stand up to Gally and Minho, but he's sweet and has a good heart which is why he's such a good Med-Jack." Newt's smile faded slightly as the next name escaped his lips,

"Minho."

"He's... a little rough around the edges, he likes to make other people think he's this tough guy who doesn't need anyone. I think Minho's just a little lonely."

"How can he be lonely when he's surrounded by people everyday?" Newt asked raising his eyebrow,

"He just needs someone who he can be himself around. Someone who can see and accept his caring side as well as his tough, bad boy side, I guess." She shrugged, trying to make her tone sound as nonchalant as possible,

"Newt." Gen laughed lightly, earning a small smile from Newt, "You gonna answer or just bloody laugh?" Taking a breath, Gen calmed herself before she looked down at her feet,

"Newt? Hmmm, that's a tough one." She began, her eyes flicking back up to meet his, "Newt is the one of the sweetest, most caring people in The Glade. Sure, he can be a bit of a shuck, but everything he does, he does to protect someone he cares about. He's considered to be a bit of an outcast at time, even though he has no quarrels with anyone. He is selfless and can be funny sometimes."

"Sometimes?" Newt gasped, "Only bloody sometimes?" Gen laughed,

"You wanted my opinion, I gave it." Stuffing a piece of pork into his mouth, Newt started walking again, heading towards their shared room,

"Alright, I have one more name. One more name and then you will have officially proved my bloody point." He smirked. Gen looked at him,

"Go for it."

"Gally." Pausing, Gen frowned, sure, he didn't like her, but she was certain there was some good in him. No- the truth was...

"He's just a plain shuck." Gen announced causing Newt to burst into fits of laughter,

"Thanks for _not _proving my bloody point." He laughed. Gen smiled, she enjoyed being friends with Newt, it made things so much easier. Up ahead, Gen squinted at the figure that was running towards her,

"Is that Jeff?" She asked, looking to Newt who followed her gaze,

"Yeah," He nodded, "I think it is." As Jeff drew closer, Gen's stomach turned as she saw what was in his hand,

"Hey Gen!" He smiled broadly as he drew closer, "Hey Newt."

"Hey there... what's going on?" Gen asked, her eyes flicking between him and what was in his hand.

"Clint just wanted me to give you this. He said you'd understand." Jeff said, holding his hand out. Newt frowned in confusion as Gen picked it up carefully, her eyes examining it before she looked back to Jeff,

"Tell Clint I said thank you." She said. Jeff gave a soft nod before he ran back in the direction he came from,

"That's pretty..." Newt mumbled, looking over Gen's shoulder at the perfectly, red flower she held in her hands.

"So it is."


	12. The Red Flower

To say the least, Newt and Gen enjoyed their own little lunch in their shared room, talking about every topic that came to mind. Their topics ranged from everything and anything they could think of- the Glade history, Gally, Alby and Rosalind, what life was like when Newt was the Greenie. Of course, there were a few topics that both stayed away from, Newt's injury and his time as a Runner and Minho's flower.

"Come on, what's with the bloody flower?" Newt asked with a mouthful of food, his eyes locked onto the red flower that sat between them on the small table,

"It's a flower and I like it." She replied with a smile, "What's so hard to understand about it?"

"The fact that Clint gave you a flower and you haven't let it leave your sight for the entire time we've been here." He replied with a smirk, leaning forward on his elbows, "There's gotta be a story behind it." Gen rolled her eyes, either he knew it was from Minho and was just trying to get her to admit it, or he was under the impression that Clint had feelings for her, either way, the topic was a dangerous one,

"I thought it would look nice in my hair." She replied, leaning over to pick up a piece of pork from Newt's plate, "So stop being nosy." Standing up, Newt smirked at her, "What are you doing?" She asked, looking at him suspiciously. Before she could even say 'Stop' Newt lunged forward snatching the flower up in his hands before darting to the door. Following his lead, Gen whipped around to where Newt was standing in front of the doorway, his eyebrow raised, "Newt. Give it back." She hissed moving towards him. Newt chuckled softly, moving towards her, the flower held above his head,

"You can have it if you can bloody get it." He smirked. Gen rolled her eyes, jumping as high as she could in an attempt to grab the flower from Newt's hands.

"Why are you so tall?" She exclaimed as she continued to jump for the flower much to Newt's amusement, who, after moving back, brought it back down to her level, his eyes examining it,

"So..." He began, "You think it'll look nice in your hair?" He asked. Gen placed her hands on her hips,

"Yeah... and?" She snapped. Newt smirked, slowly moving towards her, his eyes still locked onto the flower,

"Well. Let's take a bloody look then." He smirked. Stopping in front of her, Newt's eyes flicked up to meet hers and after he took a small breath, he raised his hand, his fingertips brushing along her cheek before they found their way to her hair. Pushing her hair behind her ear, Newt used his other hand to place the flower behind her ear before he allowed his hands to fall to his side, not moving an inch as he examined her face. All the while, Gen was left frozen, waiting for Newt's opinion on Minho's flower.

"Well?" She asked, raising her eyebrow at him. Newt took a step back, smirking slightly before giving her a nod,

"You look nice." Newt smiled,

"Nice?" Gen gasped dramatically, "Only nice?"

"Hey, you wanted my opinion, I gave it." Newt said, repeating a variation of her words from her opinion on him.

"Maybe Gally will be my friend if I get him one of my flowers." Gen suggested, Newt laughed,

"Let's go ask him." He grinned, wrapping an arm around her waist and leading her out the door,

"What? No, I was joking!" Gen cried as Newt continued to drag her towards where the builders where still having lunch, "Newt, no! Gally is terrifying." She pleaded, attempting to escape from Newt's hold,

"I'm just trying to help." Newt grinned, "You bloody stalked me into becoming your friend, maybe Gally just needs a pretty flower to get him through the day. Who are you to bloody deny him that?" He mocked. Gen rolled her eyes as they came into the view of the boys, who all raised there eyebrows. Spinning around and out of Newt's hold, Gen locked her eyes onto the group, clearing her throat nervously as she moved towards them, stealing a quick glance at Newt who winked at her, a smug look on his face. Turning back to the group, she swallowed,

"Hey, Gally." She greeted, moving closer to the circle that eyed her off, "I came back to ask about those rumours." She said, placing her hands on her hips momentarily before realising how ridiculous she looked and instead, placing them over her chest- a much more intimidating stance and by intimidating, Gen meant less pathetic and girly. Smirking, Gally looked around the circle before setting his eyes back onto Gen,

"Can I say them or am I going to be locked in the Slammer by lover boy over there?" He asked, nodding over at Newt who was unmoving, choosing to stay out of the situation entirely, "Or maybe Minho'll swing by to kick my ass."

"Oh, so it's _those _rumours." She nodded, "Thanks for the information." She said with a smile, much to Gally's confusion. Looking around the group, he decided to try once more,

"So which one is it? Newt or Minho?"

"Neither." She answered. Gally scoffed, rising to his feet which caused the other boys to cheer and whistle. Now the fear had started to kick in, Gally was intimidating and now he was stepping towards her. Gen stole another glance at Newt who was annoyingly still calm about the situation,

"Now why do I find that hard to believe?" He asked,"Ever since you showed up, Newt here's been following you around like a lost puppy and everyone knows about you and Minho in the Slammer. You're causing trouble and we don't need that sort of trouble." He snapped. Gen nodded slowly,

"Alright. So is that your quarrel with me? My imaginary alter-ego that likes to swap between Newt and Minho?" She asked. Her eyes were locked with Gally's and for the first time, she felt calm around him and even a little daring. "Newt and I had a fascinating conversation about you over lunch actually." She began, behind her she heard Newt shift. "You hate me and I want to know why? Apparently you seem to thoroughly dislike a lot of the Greenie's. What does it take for a girl to get on your good side?" She asked, "Would you like a flower?" She mocked, her words suggesting that he was no more than a child. Smirking, Gally shrugged,

"I see why Minho likes you." He said, looking her up and down, "And for the record, I don't 'dislike' you." He said, "You want my respect you gotta earn it."

"And the Fight Circle? What was that?" She asked, growing steadily irritated and the sheer arrogance of Gally,

"That at least ensured that I don't hate you." He replied with a shrug, "I don't see what you're complaining about, so far you're doing better than the other Greenie's." He smirked, "Well, you're certainly doing well with Minho and-"

"Okay! Stop right there!" Gen cried angrily, "Mention Newt or Minho one more time and see what happens." She threatened, "I've tried to sort things out with you, but clearly, you're just a shuck with a superiority complex." Moving forward, Newt quickly grabbed her arm,

"Okay... this is not what I was thinking would bloody happen. Time to go." He said tugging her away from a very annoyed Gally,

"Better keep your girl on a tight leash." He mocked,

"Who's being put on a leash?" Looking over her Newt's shoulder, Gen set her eyes onto Minho, who was limping towards the group, "Hey, girly." He winked at Gen as he walked past her, "Nice flower." Gen rolled her eyes, standing back with Newt as Minho slowly made his way over to Gally,

"No one." He replied,

"No, really, someone please tell me who's being put on a leash. I'm actually curious." When no one gave an answer, Minho turned to face Newt and Gen,

"What's going on here?" He mumbled. Gen was about to open her mouth to question him when she realised what he was looking at, looking down, Gen noticed that Newt's hand was still wrapped around her wrist,

"Nothing." Gen replied, "We were just leaving." She said. Minho placed his hands on his hips, his eyes meeting with Newt who quickly let Gen go before he returned his gaze to Gen,

"Your flower looks nice." He said,

"Thank you."

"But somehow I don't think a leash would make you any more pretty than you already are." He said, loud enough so that Gally was aware of what he was implying, "Somehow, I think it would take away from it." Sighing, it was Newt who rolled his eyes,

"Come on, Minho. It was just a bloody joke." He said, clearly just wanting Minho to simmer down. Gen watched him carefully, he was unreasonable, that was the very word both Alby and Newt had used to describe him.

"That's why no one's laughing." He retorted. Moving forward, Gen cupped his face, forcing him to look at her,

"Calm down, shank." She smiled, "Clint must have given you a lot of medication to help with the pain. You must be tired." She said, the surrounding boys all agreeing with her with either voiced variations of the word 'Yeah' or a simple nod. Moving her hands away from him, Gen raised her eyebrow, causing Minho to roll his eyes,

"Yeah, I'm just tired." He nodded, clearly annoyed at having been told of by Gen, in a very subtle way of course. "Guess you should probably walk me to my room so I don't trip and hurt myself, right?" He smirked, his eyes flicking back to Newt who wore a foul look, "Wanna come with, Newt?" He asked, "Make sure we don't get up to anything?" Newt gave a stiff nod before Minho glanced at Gally once more before he walked towards where Newt was standing, pushing past him and towards his room. Jogging after him, Gen grabbed his arm,

"What was that about?" She asked. Minho glanced at her before pulling away from her,

"I should be in the Maze." He muttered, looking over her shoulder she noticed that Newt was a short distance away, watching them both carefully, "It's the middle of the day and I'm too busy making sure you don't get into trouble." He muttered, his limp becoming noticeably worse with each step he took,

"You don't need to look out for me." She replied, wrapping her arm around his waist, "Let me help you." She whispered, Minho gave a quick glance over to Newt before he slowly wrapped his arm around her shoulders,

"I don't want to get you in trouble." He muttered, "I just wanted to make sure you got your flower." Gen smiled, his room was only just ahead of them,

"Thank you. How did you even get it?" She asked. Minho laughed lightly,

"How do you think I got it? I climbed the damn klunk of a tree to get it." He smirked, "That makes us even now." He finished as they reached the front of his door.

"I would have been fine with a simple 'I'm sorry'" She told him as he moved his arm off of her and placed it on his door. Minho shrugged,

"I like to keep things interesting." He said and without another word, he pushed the door open and disappeared inside. Allowing her hand to move up, Gen slowly touch the flower before she turned to face Newt,

"We should probably go." Giving him a nod, Gen walked over towards him,

"We should."


	13. Things Long Lost and Forgotten

A few days past and Gen found herself fitting in more than ever, she had more friends within the Glade and had even created a reputation as a good Med-Jack (She even had some of the boys specifically ask for her when they got injured). Unfortunately, the rumours about Minho and her continued, more so than the ones regarding her and Newt. That was something that Gen had found very difficult to understand, the rumours about her and Newt just seemed to fade completely despite the large amount of time she had spent with him, of course, Gally often mocked Newt and herself whenever he had found them together, but that was just expected. Whenever Minho and gen were even _seen _in the same room together, no matter how crowded the room, everyone would fall silent, watching them as if waiting for something to happen- which nothing ever did. They were friends and the saddest thing was the rumours that had spread about them like it was some kind of wildfire were based purely off of assumptions and the hard truth was that she hadn't spoken to him since the incident with Gally. It all just seemed pointless to fight something that others disapproved of so wholeheartedly, even if her the intention behind their friendship was innocent. Snapping back into reality, Gen set her eyes onto Alby, whom she had spent quite some time with, the both of them examining an old coin she had found just outside the Maze only a couple of hours ago. The coin was a faded gold colour with a square hole in the centre and on the back of it, there was a name scribbled into it that Gen couldn't make out,

"Yeah, that's Minho's alright." Alby said, leaning back against the wall with a smirk on his face. Gen examined the coin which apparently had Minho's name carved into the back of it. It looked to be incredibly old and judging from how dirty it was, he had lost it quite some time ago,

"Maybe I should give it back to him?" Gen suggested. Alby shrugged, moving forward to further examine the coin,

"I remember this, it was on him when first came up in the Box." He informed her, "I wouldn't give it back." He added before stepping back and away from her. Gen frowned softly,

"Why not?"

"Because it holds no sentiment. Here in the Glade, people only keep things if they hold sentimental value to them." He told her. "If it meant anything to Minho, he would have torn the place apart to look for it when he lost it." Gen's kept her eyes locked onto the coin, over the past few days, Minho's ankle had healed nicely, but she could only tell that from a distance, due to Alby's rule, both Newt and now Gally had been around to make sure she and Minho were never alone. Speaking of Gally, he was the one person in the Glade she was yet to have gained some inch of respect from, however, she had made it personal goal to earn his respect. Smirking to herself, she thought back to the name that had stuck in her head: Irene. Through Newt, she had learned more about the previous two women in the Glade and despite the tragic history that surrounded Rosalind, she was more interested in Irene's story. The sweet red haired girl who got lost in the Maze and never made it out alive- there were many questions that surrounded the girl, like for example, whether her death was an accident or on purpose and most importantly, whether or not she had returned Gally's feelings. According to Newt, Gally had been head over heels in love with Irene, but the pair had never been actually together- the more that Gen thought about it, the more she found the story to be sadder than that of Rosalind's. Irene's story reminded her a forbidden love that ended with nothing but tragedy. If anything, the only thing that Newt had really specified about the story was that under no circumstances was she to ever speak Irene's name in front of Gally.

"So what should I do about it?" She asked, glancing back up at Alby who shrugged,

"Put it back where you found it." He suggested. Taking a small breath, Gen gave a small nod,

"Alright... Guess it's a good thing Minho's back in the Maze so he'll never know I found it." She said with a small smile. Alby smiled softly,

"What he doesn't know can't hurt him." He replied. "Just put it back and don't tell anyone about it."

"Thank you, Alby. I just wanted to run it past you." She said, turning on her heel, Gen exited Alby's room,

"Goodbye Gen." Alby smirked and she could still feel his eyes watching her as she exited his room. She had half the mind to just give it back to Minho, but through the entire conversation she had with Alby about the coin, he had stressed his point that the coin was best returned to where she had found it close to the Maze entrance, buried under the dirt. Hilariously, it wasn't even Gen who had found the coin, it was actually Jeff who had noticed it and had given it to her to show Alby. He of course, had no idea it had belonged to Minho. As she walked back towards the Maze entrance, her eyes lingered on the mysterious Maze, Minho was inside the Maze at this very moment, running to find a way out. The more she thought about the Maze, the more uneasy it made her. In Gen's opinion, there was no exit. There was no silver lining, they were just mice chasing a piece of cheese that doesn't exist. The sad truth of this place was that it was in fact a prison and that all their hopes were placed on two years worth of running in a maze with nothing to show for it. Perhaps the others were so blinded by hope of freedom, or perhaps it had just become a routine. But anyone who had half a brain knew that if there was a way out, someone would have found it by now. Stopping close to the Maze, Gen looked down at her feet- she had enjoyed the past few days, she had enjoyed Newt's company and Clint and Jeff. She had even enjoyed Alby's, but Gen couldn't help but miss Minho's sense of humour and love of life in general- she couldn't help but feel that he was the reason that she was able to cope with the Maze altogether. He was a shuck at the best of times and had proven to be unreasonable and somewhat cold and distant, constantly hiding behind the mask of sarcasm and condescension, but she still missed him.

"Hey Gen, what are you doing?" Looking over at her shoulder, she locked her eyes onto Ben, one of the Runners who she had gotten along with quite well over the past few days. Ben was usually Minho's partner in the Maze, but since Minho's ankle had healed, he had decided to take on double shifts, taking on both his own and Eric's runs, resulting in him running the Maze everyday without fail.

"Nothing." Gen replied, quickly placing the coin in the pocket of her tattered jeans, "I thought I saw something over here." She said with a small smile, "Plus, Minho and Adam will be back soon." She said. Ben frowned softly,

"I wouldn't wait for Minho if I were you."

"Why not?" She asked moving forward, "Who says I'm waiting for Minho?" Ben gestured for her to come closer,

"Well," He began in a hushed tone of voice, "He's been avoiding you for the past few days." Gen froze, her eyes locked onto Ben,

"What are you talking about, Ben?" She asked, staring at him with a look of confusion on her face. Ben sighed,

"I wasn't supposed to say anything, but... Minho's been avoiding you. Something about protecting himself and not getting into trouble and... yeah..." Gen bit her lip, giving a slow nod as she turned on her heel,

"Fine." Walking away from the Maze, her hand remained in her pocket, her fingers fiddling with the coin. "I see how it is."

**A/N: Sorry if this chapter wasn't very good! But, I promise, it does serve a purpose. xx **


	14. Home

Gen was still, her eyes still locked onto the coin she held in her hands, _Sentiment... _the term had no meaning to her, for without memories of who she was before the Glade, sentiment did not exist. She should have just thrown the coin away when she got the chance and if it weren't for Ben, she would have. It had no meaning to her, it was just a dirty old coin with Minho's name on it and after all, Alby was right. If the coin meant anything to Minho, he would have found it a long time ago, instead, it had been buried, just waiting for someone to stumble across it.

_Minho's avoiding you. _The words echoed in her head and she felt her grip tighten around the coin, he had no reason to avoid her, after everything she had done for him, she could not understand why he had all of a sudden chosen to do something like that. Gen thought they were friends and around here, friends were the only reason you didn't throw yourself into the Maze as it was about to shut. _It's because of the dumb rumours... _She frowned softly to herself, if only she had sent Minho away that night at the Slammer, if she had just have done that, he wouldn't have been in the Slammer with her, Newt would have never have found them and thus, the rumours would be non-existent. Stepping over to the small wooden bowl filed with all sorts of different objects, Gen peered into it, pulling out a long, thin piece of string, threading it through the hole in the centre of the coin and then tying the two ends into a firm knot that was just large enough to fit around her head. She could wear it? It was a lovely, small coin, a little rusted and maybe a little too old to be of any kind of beauty to the other Gladers, but Gen found the small lines that covered it, the rounded shape, the coppery-gold colour, everything about the coin was interesting and it would have been a waste just to throw it away so carelessly. It wasn't like it held any personal attachment, as it was merely a pretty necklace to make her feel just a little bit prettier.

"What are you doing?" A deep voice questioned which startled her. Quickly dropping the coin into her hammock and out of sight, Gen spun around to look at Newt,

"Nothing," she answered quickly, "What are you doing?" she asked, positioning her trembling hands on her hips and pursing her lips. If Newt found the coin, he would surely tell Alby who would then work out she hadn't done as he had asked and then it would be back to the Slammer for Gen.

"Well... this is my room as well as bloody yours and the Runners are coming back." he informed her, his eyebrow raised in suspicion as he tried to subtly look for whatever it was she was hiding, but where she dropped it, it became safely out of sight from nosey teenage boy.

"So?" Gen pried, as she tried her best to sound apathetic, like she hadn't been hurt or betrayed.

"Aren't you coming to watch?" He asked, his brow furrowing at her indifference.

"I don't see any point in watching a couple of sweaty boys run back through the gates," she muttered to herself, turning her back on Newt who walked further into the room.

"What's gotten into you?" He muttered, "The second bloody day you were here, you ran into the Maze to save Minho. Now, you couldn't care less," Newt stated calmly, as confusion etched across his face and buried deep into his brown eyes. Quickly covering the coin with her blanket, she turned back around to face him.

"It's not that I don't care. Of course I do," she began, "I just... there are things Clint wanted me to do in the Med-Jack building," she informed him, lying through her teeth as she tried to keep eye-contact with the blonde who was moving steadily closer to her.

"Clint wanted you to do something in the Med-Jack Building?" He repeated. Gen gave a confident and rather convincing nod, at least she hoped it was convincing.

"Yes," Gen replied, as she watched Newt place his hands on his hips and shrug his broad shoulders implying to Gen that he believed her. Flashing him a sweet smile, Gen went to move past him, only to have Newt step in front of her.

"Gen," he whispered, as he looked down on her. Gen knew she was short next to some of the guys in the Glade, but next to Newt, the size difference was ridiculous! He was easily a head taller than her.

"Newt," she replied in the exact same tone, instead looking up into his chocolate brown eyes. Gen tried to find some reason as to why Newt was acting the way he was. All she could see was complete and utter seriousness in his eyes.

"Why are you lying to me?" He asked, as Gen could feel his gaze lingering on her face, looking for any indication that she was telling the truth. Gen took a step back, and attempted to look hurt at the implication, that was completely true.

"Me? Lie to you? You really think _I _would do that to _you_?" She exclaimed, her jaw dropping as she attempted to feign that she was offended by the idea. Newt raised his eyebrow, a small smile forming on his lips.

"Well, you're lying to me right now, so... I guess the answer to that is yes." Newt replied, as he smiled a little bit, in a way that caught her out. Gen sighed and shrugged her shoulders, and took a step away from Newt.

"I don't want to go," she shrugged, as Gen tried to sounds as honest as possible. Newt crossed his arms, and squared his shoulders.

"Why?" He pried, as he picked up on her bluff.

"What do you mean '_why_'?" Gen inquired in complete and utter disbelief. Newt was really testing her boundaries, and calling her bluff.

"Why. Do. You. Not. Want. To. Bloody. Go?" He asked slowly, as he put emphasis on each syllable he spoke.

"Because. I. Don't. See. The. Point." Gen replied slowly, using the exact same tone of voice as Newt did, she could not believe that the pair were discussing why she didn't want to watch the Runners do what they did everyday which was, run. "Why do I have to state a reason? There are so many other things I could be doing."

"Oh yeah, I'm sure." Newt smirked, as he nodded sarcastically.

"Well, we could always have a fascinating conversation _away _from the Maze.." Gen suggested with a small, somewhat manipulative smile on her face. "Because, you do realise that there are so many fascinating things to look at here in the Glade." She told him. Newt rolled his eyes, uncrossing his arms and moving towards her, "I mean, there are flowers, livestock, that we can't actually see unless we become Slicers, the grass is nice too." Gen was tempted to continue but lost her train of thought as she watched Newt move closer and closer, placing his hands on her shoulders before he gave her a smile.

"If this is about Minho then fine, we won't go," he stated gently. Gen stared at him, her eyes narrowed in confusion and slight disbelief.

"When you say '_we_' what do you mean?" Gen asked, as she scrutinised him with a glance.

"You don't want my bloody company now?" Newt exclaimed dramatically, stepping back away from her and placing his hand over his chest. Gen laughed, turning away from the funny boy before her, she wasn't sure why she had found that comment to be funny, perhaps it was the irony of the fact they shared a room, or maybe she was just amused at the idea that Newt thought she would ever chose another's company over his.

"I thought you would have gone to watch the Runners come back," she mused. Newt shrugged, carelessly, as he went over to his own hammock and straightened up the blanket that was scrunched up at the end.

"Who wants to watch a couple of sweaty boys run back through the gates?" Gen laughed once more, moved over to Newt, and pulled him in for a hug, as she nestled her head into the crook of his neck.

"Thank you," she whispered, as his arms wrapped around her in a rather awkward and stiff fashion. Newt stood there in her embrace silently, before he finally found his voice.

"You're bloody welcome," he whispered, as he rested his chin on the top of her head.


	15. Drinks All Around

Gen smiled softly, as she set her eyes onto Newt who was silent, she had gotten her way in a sense that Newt didn't drag her along to watch Minho and Adam come back and instead, they sat side by side in Newt's hammock, discussing different theories about the other Gladers- her personal favourite being the one about Gally being in love with the second female Glader: Irene. She had heard the rumour several times, but she was still unsure about whether or not there was any truth to it and according to Newt, no one was really sure. However, her joy was short lived when Alby arrived at Gen and Newt's room to announce that there was going to be a celebration in honour of Minho's recovery.

"I'm not going." Gen announced, as she received a foul look from Newt and a questioning one from Alby. Of course, perhaps she should have voiced her opinion when Alby had left rather than a few seconds after he announced it.

"The idea of this is to celebrate Minho's recovery and to inform all the Keeper's who then help out with setting up and watching that the others do the right thing. You're going. Especially when you helped with his recovery," Alby informed her. Gen rolled her eyes, and sat up slightly from Newt's hammock.

"Why am I in this group? Whose idea was it to put me in this group?" She argued, shifting slightly where she sat on Newt's hammock, "I'm not even a Keeper, so you should be talking to Clint, _not _me," she continued on with her argument. Beside her, Newt cleared his throat, which successfully drew her attention.

"Ah..." Newt answered from where he sat beside her, "It was mine."

"What was yours?" Gen spat, as her eyes narrowed at Newt. The boy in question shifted nervously in his hammock, swallowed the lump in his throat, and looked the girl dead in the eyes.

"It was, uh, my idea. Seeing as how this is for Minho, who is a Keeper... I figured we needed a... fill in as such," he said, as he tried to contain the look of amusement on his face, all the while fiddling with his fingers nervously. Gen shot him a dirty look, crossed her arms, and turned her attention away from Newt, and towards Alby.

"Thank you, Newt," she muttered bitterly, before turning her attention back to Alby. "What do we have to set up anyway?" She asked with a slight frown. She didn't remember anything having to be set up when she had her little celebration, granted, she wasn't on the Keepers Council.

"We need someone responsible to keep an eye on the younger Gladers to make sure they don't nick Gally's drinks and we also need someone to break up any arguments that could erupt."

"Alby," Gen began, "If I'm supposed to be looking out for bad behaviour, who's going to look out for _my _bad behaviour when I accidentally beat someone up for being a piece of klunk?" She asked sweetly, as she added a few bats of the eyelashes for a good effect, although she was still trying to get used to the Glader slang, she was determined to earn some respect and to not be treated like a weak girl who needed someone to protect her. Alby chuckled lightly, and shook his head with a grin on his face.

"If that happens, give me the name of the shank and I'll throw him in the Slammer for being beaten up by a girl," Alby said with an amused smile. Gen laughed lightly as she felt the hammock swing slowly underneath her. Now she had a reason to show up. Gen slipped off the hammock, making it swing faster, and walked over to Alby.

"I'm in," Gen smiled sadistically, as she thought of millions of ways to enjoy herself, and showing Minho that she didn't care. Gen glanced back over to where Newt was still sat on the hammock, and flashed him a smile, "Come on, Newtie, we're going to a party. Can't be late now can we?" She smirked. Newt rolled his eyes at his new nickname, slipped off of the hammock and moved up behind her, looked over her head at Alby, and gave a curt nod.

"Alright then," He agreed, as his eyes lowered to look at Gen who was looking up at him, "And don't call me bloody Newtie," he muttered. Gen shrugged her shoulders before she turned to follow Alby to where the celebration was to be held. As they reached the centre of the Glade, where the celebration had been held in her honour when Gen had first arrived, she hadn't noticed much difference in the set up. Really, when she thought about, the only difference was that there were Keeper's ordering Sloppers around. Scanning the area, Gen took note of the large space in the centre of the clearing that Sloppers were very slowly stacking wood and branches in and the four long logs that sat a few metres away from where the fire would be, blocking in all sides. A fire and a place to sit- that was pretty much the entire set up.

'_Some kind of team we are..._'She thought to herself in amusement as her eyes fell onto Siggy who sat comfortably on one of the logs with a wooden bowl in his hand. As soon as they got started, which surprisingly took longer than anything else due to the arguing among Keepers about who was going to order their sloppers to do the 'Klunk jobs', it was quite easy to set up and organise the celebration, the _hard _part of it was when it actually began and Newt and Gen were tasked with keeping everyone in line while the other Keepers all enjoyed themselves.

As she leant against the back wall of the Homestead, facing the large fire, Gen's eyes scanned the area. Alby had given her a job and the celebration was her one chance to prove that she wasn't useless and was just as good as any boy- if not better. Although the pair had not spoken at all, Gen was glad that Minho was having a good time- of course, he was surrounded by the Runners and the sloppers and anyone else who thought he was better than he actually was. Gen had half the mind to walk over to Minho and his group of fans herself- but causing an argument and kicking Minho's shuck ass for no reason would only land her in the Slammer. So instead, she took it upon herself to guard the drinks table with Newt; the drinks were all made by Gally- it was a homemade drink that Gally swore never to tell anyone the secrets behind it. The reason why she was guarding it though was because Alby had set an age limit to who could drink it. The age cap was 14 and a half which pretty much meant that everyone could drink except for a few Sloppers of whom Gen had scared the life out of when they attempted to steal a few bottles of the yellowy liquid that tasted like a bitter, salty poison that burned her throat. Glancing to her left, Gen set her sights onto Newt, who was standing stiff and proud, as he took his job seriously. Gen looked at the teenage boy that stood next to her, and analysed his ever feature. From his tall height, his broad shoulders, his square jaw, his honey blonde hair, and deep brown eyes, he was handsome in a way. Gen's eyes locked with Newt's, and her head snapped forward to watch the celebrations. She could see Newt smirk out of the corner of her eye, and she had to refrain from burying her head in her hands in shame.

"Everything alright Gen?" He asked her, as he smirked slightly, in a somewhat clueless manner, although he had caught her staring.

"Just fine." She muttered back to the boy, "Nothing better than this. This is what I live for." She deadpanned, her expression remaining neutral as her gaze returned to the fire. It was the only safe place where she could look without someone thinking she was staring at them.

"You want to go talk to him, don't you?" He asked, as he took his gaze of the fire, to look Gen dead in the eyes. Gen tore her gaze away from Newt, and looked at the Keeper on the other side of the fire, surrounded by the other Gladers.

"No." She answered despite he fact it was a lie. But Gen knew that there was no point talking to someone who was avoiding her. That was equivalent to talking the the Maze or Gally for that matter. "Why would I want to talk to him?" She scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest.

"What happened between you and Minho, Gen? You guys were closer than bread and butter. Now it's like you're the chalk, and he's the cheese." Newt managed out, concern etched across his face, as he looked between the spitfire girl and the sassy Runner.

Gen took a small breath, "We weren't... Close." She said, "I just thought we were friends considering I saved his life. But instead, he wants to ignore me." She snapped, her tone growing steadily louder, the image of Minho's face entering her mind followed by the sudden urge to punch that face.

"Could have fooled me," he spat out, as his eyes became cold and distant, as the amber flames flickered into the dark sky. Turning away from the fire, Gen raised her eyebrow at Newt- she couldn't understand why he was acting that way. Opening her mouth to speak, she quickly shut it, instead pushing past Newt and picking up one of the bottles,

"Gen, what are you..." Newt trailed off in alarm, as she downed the bottle of Gally's, 'The Mist-Ris' all in one go. Wiping her mouth, she then looked at him,

"You can go ahead and be Mr Grumpy." She smirked, poking his chest with her index finger. As she was about to speak again, she was interrupted by the sound of Minho's laughter, looking around at the group, she noticed that Gally had now joined the group and he and Minho had begun some kind of drinking competition. Newt grabbed her around the wrist, and effectively halted her in her stride. She turned around, glared at him, then looked down at her wrist in annoyance.

"Where do you think you're going? By the way, Mr Grumpy? Really? I think I prefer Newtie," he shuddered in obvious distaste, but kept a firm grip around her wrist. Glancing down at her hand, Gen attempted to squirm out of his hold without any luck, "Fine then, Newtie." She muttered, allowing her eyes to meet his once more

"Come have fun. Live a little." She grinned, taking her spare hand to grab his before she attempted to tug him towards the fire, "Dance with me?" "O-One of us needs to g-guard the table, _Brownie,_" he stuttered and emphasised on the new nickname. Gen leaned closer to him, and he could smell the alcohol on her breath. He looked down into her brown eyes, sighed and gave in.

"Fine, _one _dance. Then I'm going back to guarding the table," he stated, as she grinned and tugged him towards the space around the fire. The music was only faint, considering that the music side to things was handled by only two Gladers and their flutes. But Gen didn't care, she wanted to enjoy herself and plus, she wouldn't be the only one dancing around- there were at least half a dozen Gladers around the fire already. Hilariously, as the boys and even Minho and Gally's groups watched her tug Newt towards the fire, each of them, minus Minho, turned to whisper to someone around them as if the mere sight of Gen having fun was considered a crime. Stopping in front of the combined Runner and Builder group, Gen narrowed her eyes at them, instantly letting go of Newt before she stepped towards them, drawing their eyes up to meet hers,

"Hello boys." She smirked tilting her head as she stopped just in front of Gally who returned a smile,

"Gen." He greeted rather condescendingly before he looked to Minho, who stared at her with a neutral expression,

"I don't understand you." Gen said, her eyes fixated onto Gally, "You don't like me because I'm a girl. But you know what, I'm not here to understand you so... I'll make you a bet." She grinned, watching Gally with a daring look on her face as she placed her hands on her hips. Gally looked around at everyone who wore smirks on their faces before his eyes returned to Gen,

"Go on."

"I bet... That I can out drink you." She smiled sweetly, gesturing at the two bottles between Minho and Gally, "I assume you beat Minho, considering the sour look on his otherwise shuck-face." Before Minho could even speak, Gen was interrupted by Newt who was making his way over to the group,

"Gen, what are you..." Newt trailed off, as she turned around and shot him a dirty look. Newt gave Gally and Minho a look that clearly stated, "_good luck shanks_". Newt still edged his way closer to Gen, and laid a hand on her her elbow. "Are you sure?" He whispered in her ear, as he eyed Gally, who was laughing and mucking around with his Builder shucks.

"Of course I am." Gen replied, pulling out of his hold, her eyes locked onto Gally,

"You're pretty brave for a girl." He quipped,

"Brave?" Minho questioned, "More like incredibly stupid." He muttered, leaning back against the log and winking at Gen who gritted her teeth,

"Now, Now Minho, no need for that tone." She smirked, her eyes falling onto the dark haired teen, "We all know how big your ego is, so go flaunt it elsewhere." As Minho stood, the boys around them all cheered at Gen's comment,

"You shouldn't talk like that, girly." Minho said with a smirk, facing Gen with his arms crossed over his chest,

"And you shouldn't be such a shucking slinthead, guess we don't always get what we want." She smiled sweetly. Minho paused, his eyes lingering on Gen's face before he grabbed both of her wrists and dragged her towards him, so that they were only a few centimetres apart. That was where the cheering stopped and everyone simply watched,

"Get off of her, shuck." It was Newt who spoke, his voice coming from just behind Gen, who was staring at Minho and Minho at her, both of them ignoring Newt. Minho leaned forward, parting his lips as if he was going to speak but then at last minute retreated, a smirk returning on his face,

"What's wrong with you?" Gen asked, raising her eyebrow at Minho who slowly released his grip on her wrists, "Don't like it when a girl outwits you?"

"Good luck, Gen." Minho smiled, "Gally's a big drinker." Without another word he stepped back at sat back down with his back against the log, allowing for Gally to once again take the spot light,

"You're on, Gen." Gally grinned, gesturing for her to take a seat across from him, which she did. Gen's hand lingered on the bottle before she smiled softly to herself: This was the most fun she had since she arrived at the Glade.

**A/N: Next up will be the drinking contest! **


	16. Competitions and Respect

Gen swallowed down the first few drinks with ease, but after that, she found it was getting harder and hardr to keep up with the builder who was throwing them down just as quickly as he was when they first started. If it weren't for the fact she was stubborn and annoyed at Minho, she probably would have taken Minho's comment on board- but it didn't matter anymore because Gally proved to be a _very _big drinker,

"Slowing down, Gen?" Gally smirked, looking at Gen who was staring down at the bottle in front of her- she had considered just giving up, but then she would be called a quitter and would never live it down, so those thoughts were quickly removed from her mind. The only good thing about this competition was that most of the crowd had disappeared, growing bored of the competition and the occasional banter. The only person that Gen wanted to have leave out of boredom was Newt, who was watching the pair like a hawk with an unimpressed look on his face- even Minho had grown tired of it and left, but not Newt- much to Gen's displeasure,

"Nope." Gen replied stiffly, forcing herself to swallow another mouthful before she placed the bottle back down onto the ground and crossed her legs, in an attempt to become for comfortable where she sat on the hard ground- Gally at least had the log as a back support. Looking at Gally who took a third mouthful of the bitter liquid that was when she noticed it. A black band around Gally's wrist- the band was made out of a thin black leather and looked to be braided into the band itself, but what the band was made of was not what interested Gen, it was the state of the band. The band of tattered and dirty and looked as though it could fall apart and any given moment. _Sentiment... _The word lingered in her mind before a small smile formed on her face, _Irene... _That was the evidence, the evidence that everyone but her missed. It would make no sense for a guy like Gally to old onto something so frail and old if it did not have some kind of sentimental value to him, it also didn't make sense for him to wear it at all unless it either belonged to someone he cared about or it was given to him by someone he cared about. No matter the case, it all screamed the same name: Irene. Forcing herself to swallow another mouthful, Gen locked eyes with Gally, and as she placed the bottle down, she did the stupidest thing possible,

"Nice bracelet. Who gave it to you?" She asked. Gally froze and seemed to stop breathing completely before he forced himself to follow her gaze and look down at his wrist,

"It's mine." He stated simply,

"Did you make it?"

"Yes." He muttered and Gen knew straight away he was lying, "Now are you gonna drink or chicken out?" He muttered. Gen stared at him, unmoving- he was the bully of the group and everyone knew it, but now she knew why. Leaning forward, Gen grabbed the bottle, pulling it from Gally's hands before placing it down beside her. Gally narrowed his eyes angrily at her,

"What are you doing?" He snapped bitterly, leaning forward to snatch the bottle back only to have Gen slap his hand away from it,

"I want to hear you tell me how I've broken the rules." She spoke in a slow and calm tone of voice and Gally shrugged his shoulders, sitting back and raising his eyebrow at her,

"What?"

"Tell me how I've broken the rules. You think I'm trouble and I wanna know why." Gally scoffed at her persistence and Gen wasn't sure if it was the drinks talking or her, but it was too late to turn back now,

"Everyone knows you have Minho and Newt wrapped around your finger." He stated. Gen laughed lightly,

"And that's my crime?" Gally frowned, but didn't speak. She had won right then and there, but she refused to give in so easily. She refused to wait around until Gally found another reason. Leaning forward, a small smile etched across her face, "You think no one knows that you loved Irene?" Gen asked in a low enough voice so that not everyone could hear them. Gally smirked,

"How do you know of Irene?" He asked. Gen shrugged her shoulders,

"How could I not know about one of the two other females that were sent to the Glade. Now, look me in the eye and tell me you didn't love Irene." Gally smirked, but still avoided her eye, leaning forward and snatching the bottle away from her,

"You're delusional." He spat, taking another swig from the bottle. Grinning, Gen grabbed a hold of his arm, pulling it towards her and locking her eyes to the black, handmade bracelet he wore around his wrist,

"Am I?" she smirked, her eyes moving back up to meet Gally's, "Something tells me you're not a crafty person and judging by how tattered it is, it's quite old, isn't it?" Gally snatched his hand away from her, narrowing his eyes at her before he looked around at the small crowd that had gathered- although they could not hear what they were saying, they all knew something bad was about to happen,

"What are you looking at, shanks?" He yelled at them all, causing all of them to avert their gaze before he looked back to Gen, "So what if it's tattered?"

"If it meant nothing to you, you would have thrown it away and assuming that it was made by you, you could have easily made another one." She smirked and the look in Gally's eyes was enough proof that he knew all too well what she was implying, "You keep it because it holds sentimental value. It's the only thing you have left from Irene, the only thing you can cling to..." She told him, "And you think, that if I were to fall in love with Minho or Newt, Alby'll change the rules, resulting in the cold, painful fact that everything you did, everything you said meant nothing at all and that in the end, all you have is a hole in your heart where Irene used to be and a tattered, worn bracelet." As she finished her words, Gally simply stared at her and despite the numerous conversations that were going on around them, it felt like they were frozen in silence, trying to work the other out.

"You're wrong." He whispered, still refusing to accept the loss. Gen smirked and as she was about to open her mouth, Gally cut her off, "I don't think Alby'll change the rules... That's not why I think you're trouble...I..." Trailing off, Gally searched for the words to say before he took a breath, "Do you know what it's like to have to look at someone and be constantly reminded of what you lost?" His words were harsh and cold, as if he was scowling her for doing something wrong. Gen froze and looking around, she noticed that everyone had lost interest in their conversation and now it was only the pair of them, "You think I hate you?" Gally asked tilting his head, "Well, I don't. In fact, you're the first person to _ever _talk to _me _like that. You wanted my respect, well now you've earned it." Gally smirked. Gen frowned at him in confusion, she was absolutely certain that she would have been in trouble for what she said, but instead Gally was actually speaking to her in a tone of voice that for him, resembled something along the lines of kindness, "How about we call the drinking competition a draw?" He asked and after receiving a small nod from Gen, he stood, drawing the eye of everyone around them. Looking at them all he frowned, "What? It was a draw." He announced quite casually and without another word, Gally walked off towards where the builders had all gathered, leaving those who had heard Gally's words to stare at Gen with an impressed look on their faces. Looking to Newt, Gen's smile faded at the unimpressed expression on his face,

"Hey there, Newtie." She said in a nervous tone of voice. 'Newtie's' expression didn't change and instead he walked towards her and grabbed her arm, pulling her to her feet,

"You and I are leaving." He informed her before he dragged her away from the celebration and towards the homestead.


	17. Injuries

Gen, as expected, woke up with a terrible headache and a sick feeling in her stomach- at least she remembered the events of the celebration unlike a few people she could mention, like Winston and Ben. Newt had been annoyed at her all morning and left without a word- he thought that her drinking competition was childish and only caused unnecessary friction between her and Gally. If only he knew how wrong he really was; if anything, her and Gally had a mutual respect and Gen found that the rumours stopped completely and anyone who dared speak about it were scowled at by Gally, however they still weren't on the best of terms. The only person that Gen wanted to get on better terms with was still avoiding her- in fact, the avoiding had increased to the point where he wouldn't even look at her when she walked past him, instead, his eyes would fall to his feet. Everyone around them had realized very quickly that their relationship was tense and whenever they were even _near _each other, the other boys would all whisper to each other and look between them as if waiting for a fight to break out. Due to her illness and the unnecessary praise she was receiving from those who thought she was on par with Gally when it came to drinking, Gen had confined herself to her and Newt's room, and once again the coin had found its way into Gen's hands. She was starting to miss him more than ever and her fear of sentiment just seemed to place fear and curiosity into her mind. She wanted to find him and give it back, but there was no use if she didn't even exist within Minho's mind. Holding the coin up by the string, she watched it twirl in the air- if Gally and her were able to find some mutual respect for each other, there was no reason why she and Minho couldn't be friends again. Gen was just about to place the coin around her neck before she heard three loud knocks on the door and with a sigh of irritation, she was forced to hide it in her hammock once more. Turning towards the door, she narrowed her eyes.

"What do you want, Newt?" She cried at the door. There was a brief silence before she moved closer to the door, listening for some kind of reply- anything at all.

"It's... not Newt," a timid yet familiar voice responded. Gen shut her eyes, taking a small breath - she had successfully made a fool of herself. Opening the door, she set her eyes onto Jeff who gave her a rather concerned look at if he was expecting to be yelled at. "Um... Hi." Jeff greeted her, "Clint needs you," he informed her before he turned on his heel, and walked away from the room.

"Jeff! I'm sorry," she told him, as she followed him out the door. Jeff glanced over his shoulder at her, and smiled.

"That's okay," he replied softly. "I just... you seemed a little annoyed..." His tone trailed off and Gen smirked, but kept quiet as she followed Jeff to the Med-Jack building. Jeff was friends with the few boys who tried to steal Gally's liquor from the table when she was on guard duty, so it was only expected that they had told Jeff about what a horrible person she was.

"What does Clint need my help with?" She asked, as she broke the silence between them.

"Newt injured himself and Clint needs some help." Gen gave a small nod, Jeff's information was useless, as it told her next to nothing about the extent of Newt's injuries, but she figured that she would find out what Newt did to himself sooner rather than later. As they entered the Med-Jack building, Gen set her eyes onto Clint and Newt who stood quite a distance away from each other, both with frowns on their faces.

"What's going on?" She asked, as she looked between the pair of them. Newt and Clint both looked to her and it was then that she noticed the blood that stained Newt's shirt and as she took more notice, she noticed the gash to the left of his chest. As she moved forward, Newt rolled his eyes, and moved away from her.

"I'm fine," he muttered, as he tried to make his way away from her and it was then that she remembered what Alby had said about Newt when she had first become a Med-Jack. Newt _hated _needles and judging from the gash, he needed stitches.

"He refuses to take his shirt off so I can stitch up his wound!" Clint cried, as he pointed an accusing finger at Newt who scoffed.

"Like bloody hell I'm going to let you shove a needle into my chest!" He cried back, as once again, he started what Gen imagined to be another argument between the boys who would continue to yell at each other.

"Hey! That's enough!" Gen cried, which caused the pair to fall silent. "Clint, you go get what you need to patch him up and Newt - take your shirt off and shut your shuck mouth," she ordered, as she looked between the two. Clint gave a nod, turned to do as she said and as Gen spun around to face Newt, as expected Newt had opened his mouth to argue.

"Don't even start," she snapped before he even had the chance to speak. "Take it off," she ordered once more. Newt stared at her with a stubborn expression before he sighed and gave her a short nod.

"Fine," he muttered, "But turn around." Gen raised her eyebrows at him, as disbelief etched across her face.

"Are you serious?" She demanded, as she could practically hear Clint snickering in the background.

"Just turn around," he whined, sighing as he attempted to stress his words, as he gave her a look that suggested that he could only remove his shirt under the conditions he set. Gen rolled her eyes, and did as she was told, her eyes set on Clint who was busily examining the different creams and needles and other objects he had collected from the box throughout the months.

"Are you done yet?" Gen asked and before he could answer, she spun back around to face him. Newt was shirtless and his face was bright red and he wore a frown.

"Happy?" Gen's eyes fell to his bare chest and she understood why he was so reluctant to take his shirt off. Although not detrimental to his health in any way, Newt's torso was marked in a few small, thin scars. "Can you stop bloody staring?" Gen quickly averted her eyes, taking a small breath as she attempted to fight the blush that threatened to materialize on her pale face,

"Why was it so hard for you to take your shirt off?" She asked in a mocking tone of voice. Newt raised his eyebrow, and looked her dead in the eyes.

"I didn't want you getting too bloody excited." Gen looked back at him with a look of surprise on her face, and fought the urge to stammer at how spot on his observation was- it wasn't that she was excited, more that she had never seen a boy without a shirt on before. Or if she had, she didn't remember it.

"Wow, you can be funny," she stated in disbelief.

"We've had this conversation before." Newt smirked at Gen, as he shifted his weight from foot to foot. Clint cleared his throat, and stepped towards them.

"If you're finished with your banter, I wouldn't mind getting started," Clint stated to Gen and Newt. Gen gave a short nod, moved away from Newt and leant against the wall, her arms crossed over her chest and a smirk on her face as she watched Newt flinch at Clint's close proximity.

"Do you want me to hold your hand, Newtie?" She mocked. Newt's eyes flicked to her, a distinct glare hidden within them, as a look of distaste crossed over his face.

"No," he answered as Clint shuffled him into a chair. Newt's face grimaced and was scrunched up in pain.

"This may hurt..." Clint trailed off. "Just don't look at it," he informed Newt who scoffed.

"How am I _not _going to look at it?" He asked, as his chest rose and fell rapidly. Gen pushed herself off of the wall, and stepped towards them.

"Because you're going to look at me," she said simply. Newt raised his eyebrow in a questioning manner.

"Am I really?" He smirked. Gen placed her hands on her hips, and looked at him with her own eyebrow raised.

"Yes, you are," she stated. Gen stood in front of him, and locked her eyes with Newt. "First one to blink loses." Newt flashed Gen a smile, and stared into her eyes with a determination – which in turn, allowed Clint to start his work. To start with, Gen could detect Newt flinching at the needle piercing his skin and the urge in his eyes to get out of the seat and away from Clint - but instead, he kept his eyes locked onto hers, not faltering at all. Her eyes burned, and she couldn't help but blink.

"Damn it," she cussed as Newt grinned.

"I win," he smirked, as his eyes moved to Clint who stood back to examine his work.

"I'm finished Newt. See? Didn't hurt at all, did it?" He smirked at Newt, who looked down at his chest.

"How did you even get that?" Gen asked, as she rubbed at her sore eyes. Newt shrugged his shoulders, and winced when he pulled the skin of his chest.

"Gally gets clumsy after a night of drinking," Newt replied simply, but he did not fail to notice the look of disbelief that made its way onto Gen's face.

"Gally did this?!" Gen exclaimed as she moved closer to Newt and bent over to look at the now stitched up gash.

"It was an accident." Newt assured her, as he stood up and caused Gen to jump back. "Nice to see you're not sick," he smiled, a genuine smile. "You drank more than Minho and Adam combined. Which is a good thing considering they both had to run the maze today," he smirked, as he picked up his shirt and slipped it over his head.

"Oh yes, I'm thrilled." Gen retorted, in a sarcastic manner - at least Newt wasn't mad at her anymore, not that he really was when she thought about it; he was more just looking out for her. "But... I need to talk to Minho when he gets back so, I hope I don't get sick," she said. Newt's brow furrowed as they both exited the Med-Jack hut.

"Why?" Newt pried, as he shoulder occasionally brushed against hers.

"I have something of his," she told him, hoping that he wouldn't pry too much, as she wasn't even sure what she was going to do, when she gave the coin back. If she was even going to give it back. Newt watched her, and waited for more of an explanation, but after receiving nothing, he gave a small nod of understanding.


	18. Goodbye, Adam

Standing around the Maze with the other boys, Gen held onto the coin tightly, her eyes staring into the mysterious entrance. Newt had no idea about the coin despite the questions he asked about what it was she had. Luckily for her, he and Alby had a meeting of some sort, resulting in Gen being able to do as she pleased without Newt constantly watching her. Staring at the entrance, a small smile formed on Gen's face as she saw Minho and Adam moving towards the Glade- they were early.

"He's been stung!" Looking to Jeff, Gen scanned the expressions of the others, who were all greatly concerned and looking back to Minho and Adam, she realised why. Adam was unconscious and was being dragged along by Minho- his skin was pale and Gen could see every vein in his body and there was blood running down his forehead. _What's going on? _She wondering moving to the front of the crowd to get a better look at the pair who, as they moved past the entrance and safely into the Glade, were swarmed by the boys who pushed her aside, all arguing and yelling for someone to get Alby.

"What happened?" It was Clint who spoke in an authoritative tone of voice, something she had never heard before,

"He was stung. I did what I could but..." Minho trailed off as his eyes flicked down to the wound on Adam's head and Clint gave a nod,

"Gen! Get over here." Clint cried out, snapping Gen back into reality as she pushed through the crowd, her eyes falling onto Adam who was laying unconscious on his back, Minho next to him, panting as he watched over Adam.

"What's going on?" Gen asked as she kneeled down beside Clint who was checking Adam's vital signs,

"Not enough time to explain. You need to stop the bleeding and make sure he stays knocked out. I'll be back. Jeff! Get Alby!" He then ordered, looking to Jeff who broke into a sprint. The whole Glade was caught up in an extreme panic that Gen didn't understand. Locking her eyes onto Adam, she quickly looked around for something she could use to apply pressure with and after seeing that she was looking around, a young Slopper ran forward with a handkerchief which Gen then used to place on top of Adam's head while the boys all whispered to each other, watching with caution. Gen kept her eyes locked onto Adam, the handkerchief was covered in blood and she could feel Minho's eyes locked onto them and the entire time, no one spoke or told her what was going on. Pulling the handkerchief back, Adam's bloodshot eyes flickered open and in a matter of seconds, he grabbed her and flipped her over, pinning her to the ground before wrapping his hands around her throat, squeezing the life from her. Gen clawed at Adam in an attempt to push him off as more panic erupted from the crowd,

"Gen!" Looking up at her attacker through blurred vision, Gen continued to claw at his wrists, arms and anywhere else she could before he was quickly ripped off of her and thrown back by Minho who she assumed had called her name. Laying on the ground, Gen coughed profusely as the air was finally returned to her lungs, she couldn't move and when she tried to talk, the only thing that escaped her lips was a hoarse whisper. Adam also must have hit her when he flipped her over due to the entirety of he left cheek throbbing. Looking to Adam, Gen noticed Gally and Newt who had grabbed an arm each, holding Adam, who thrashed around in their hold- Alby was in front of him, speaking low enough that she couldn't hear,

"Gen. Listen to me. Get up." Letting her head fall back onto the ground, she saw that Minho was standing above her, his hand outstretched towards her,

"What...? What?" She wanted to ask what was going on, but the words would not come. Bending over, Minho scooped her up in his arms, holding her close to his chest. There was no doubt about it, Minho had just saved her life and she owed him. Resting her head against Minho's chest, she listened to his heartbeat that was racing, she could feel the heat of his body and hear the accelerated breathing, all while her eyes were fixated on the teenage boy who tried to kill her- the thing that had taken over her friend's body.

"Ain't no other choice." Alby said, his tone was soft and reluctant, "Adam..." He began, "I hereby sentence you to banishment."

"You can't do that!" Minho cried, "What about the shucking Grief Serum?!" Alby turned to look at him,

"We don't _have _any!" He cried back, causing Minho to fall silent, "What chance does Adam have without it? You've seen what this did to the others, ain't no other choice." Gen looked up at Minho, her lips parted,

"Minho?" Looking down at her, Gen noticed pain in his eyes; Adam was his friend. And now he was being banished to die. "I'm sorry." Placing her feet on the ground, Minho moved away from her and towards Adam who had turned into the grovelling mess,

"No, Minho, please. P-Please don't." He begged, grabbing at Minho's collar. "Please don't do this to me!" Pushing him off, Minho grabbed both his arms, his eyes fixated on the gates that had started to close, "Minho! Listen to me! Don't do this!" Adam screamed as Gally and Minho both pushed him towards it. Gen watched in horror as he got closer and closer to the gates, around her, some of the boys even held long wooden spears that were pointed at Adam. She did not even remember anyone going off to get them, or even them being handed out. "Please! I can change! I won't hurt anyone!" They were only a couple of inches from the closing gates, one last push and it would have been all over, instead Minho looked over his shoulder at Gen, her eyes wide in horror as she watched him. When the pair made eye contact, she quickly averted her eyes from his,

"Minho." It was Gally who spoke, looking at Minho with a frown, "Hurry up!" Gen could feel Minho's eyes still watching her before he turned back to Adam,

"You've already hurt someone." He said, Adam opened his mouth to beg for his life once more, but Minho gave him no opportunity and pushed him in between the closing walls before he turned to snatch one of the long spears away from one of the Slopper's daring enough to approach him. Minho used the spear to force Adam into the Maze, the death trap that they called the Maze, all the while he screamed for mercy. When the Maze closed for good, Minho stepped back, listening to Adam's faint screams before he slammed his fist against the Maze over and over, the deafening bangs of flesh and bone hitting the hard concrete echoed throughout the entire Glade. No one stepped in to stop him. No one but Alby who grabbed his shoulder and swung him around to face him and the speechless crowd. Gen watched Minho with a mixture of sympathy and fear, he was breathing heavily and his fist was still clenched, blood running down his knuckles; but not once did Minho cry out in pain, instead, he was still staring at Alby with no expression- just a blank expression that was worse than anything else Minho could have done,

"Minho..." Gen whispered, moving towards the dark head teen, she wanted to reach out to him and hold him close- tell him that everything was okay but as she drew closer, she caught Newt's eye who quickly moved towards her, grabbing her wrist and pulling her towards him. Gen didn't fight his hold and in a way she was grateful that he stepped in- he did not speak, but the look on Newt's face was enough for her to realise that it was best to stay quiet. Looking to her feet, something caught her eye- the coin. Gen frowned, it must have slipped from her hands when Adam had attacked her. Lunging forward and out of Newt's hold, Gen scrambled towards it, picking it up in her right hand before she retreated back to Newt's side, not even looking to make sure she had picked it up- all she did was watch Minho who made his way towards them, Alby at his side. As Minho and Alby passed Gen and Newt, Minho froze, his eyes locking with Gen's. She had no idea what was running through his mind and in some ways, she didn't want to know- but it was the look in his eyes that spoke what words could not. He had helped banish his friend, his fellow Runner because he had hurt her- he had broken the rule. Swallowing, she averted her eyes from him, she didn't understand what had happened to Adam: all she had heard was that he was stung. By what? She had no idea and despite the thoughts in her head that told her that it wasn't her fault, guilt had swallowed her whole to the point where she could not look Minho in the eyes and as he moved away from her with Alby, the more the guilt grew- she could have comforted him at that very moment, but instead, she was frozen.


	19. Drowning in Innocence

_'Just keep running. Just keep running' _The thought echoed through Gen's mind as she ran through the Maze, it's twists and turns greeting her at every given moment. She was lost. She was alone and she was about to die,

"Gen!" The voice sent a sick fear throughout her entire body as she ran faster, tears running down her face,

"Go away!" She screamed back at the voice, continuing to run. Turning the corner, she found it, freedom. Just in the distance, Gen could see the Glade, she could see her friends all watching , waiting for her to run back through the gates. Gen kept running as fast as she could towards the Glade but with every step she took it seemed the Maze only grew larger and she was in fact making no ground at all. The boys were all calling out her name- screaming for her to hurry up. But no one would dive in after her, no one was that stupid. Looking ahead, her eyes fell onto Newt and Alby, standing at the front of the crowd with two long spears in their hands, pointed straight at her. As she drew closer, Gen tried to step past the pair of them, but no matter how she screamed, Alby and Newt stood unmoving, their eyes locked onto her as if she was some sort of monster,

"Newt, please. Please help me." She begged, falling to her knees as she tried to find some hint of recognition in Newt's brown eyes, but found nothing. Turning away from the Gladers, Gen set her fearful eyes onto her follower, his pale, somewhat green-looking skin and wide bloodshot eyes watching her from where he stood ominously at the other end of the corridor,

"No, Minho. Stop." She pleaded, sinking further down as Minho stepped towards her, his fists clenched. He wasn't Minho anymore, just a monster. With each menacing step he took, the colder and more dead Gen felt inside, "Minho!" But he would not listen, he just continued to step towards her. Pulling her knees to her chest, Gen allowed more tears to stream down her face, her sobs echoing through the Maze before she lifted her head and gave out a blood-curdling scream.

Sitting up, Gen concentrated on breathing, her eyes scanning the area. She was in her hammock, in her and Newt's room. Safe. Laying back down, she ran her hands down her arms that were covered in a cold sweat along with the rest of her body,

"It was just a dream." She whispered to herself, "Just a dream.." Looking across the room at Newt, she sighed softly to see that he was awake and was watching her,

"Bad dream?" He whispered softly. Gen continued to lay on her back, her eyes staring at the roof, but she gave a reluctant nod of her head. Listening to the sound of Newt groan softly, Gen turned her head to watch him clear the space between them and stop in front of her hammock, looking down at her, "Want to tell me about it?" Gen forced herself to look at him, shaking her head,

"I'm fine." She whispered, her hand moving up to touch her neck. Newt's brow furrowed,

"No one is going to hurt you now." He soothed, his hand moving down to cover hers. Sitting up, Gen moved her hand away from his, instead moving around to find her feet on the ground before she slowly stood up, placing her hands on top of her head as she paced around the room,

"This is my fault." She whispered more to herself than Newt as she tried to fight back the tears,

"What is? What are you bloody well on about?" Newt asked,

"Adam." he answered immediately, his pale face returning to her mind once more,

"Gen, why would it be your fault?" Newt asked, moving towards her and placing his hands on her shoulders. Looking at him, she parted her lips, releasing a shaky breath,

"Clint told me to make sure he was still knocked out. I should have done more and-" Placing his index finger against her lips, Newt shushed her,

"You couldn't have done anything differently, you had no idea what you were up against." He told her, his hand falling back onto her shoulder as he gave her a small, soothing smile,

"Minho.." She whispered, "What about Minho?"

"Minho is bloody strong. Stronger than most. He just needs a little time." Newt whispered, pulling her back towards her hammock, "Listen to me: Adam was not your fault." Gen gave a stiff nod, a tear escaping her eye and running down her right cheek. She had asked Alby about what had happened to Adam, but no matter how many times she asked, he refused to tell her anything. "Right now, you need to sleep." Newt told her, shifting his hand to softly brush away the tear. Moving back towards the hammock, Newt helped her lay back down before he knelt down beside her, pulling the blanket up, under her chin,

"You should sleep." Gen told him, "I won't wake you next time." Slipping his hand under the cover, Newt took a hold of her trembling hand,

"I'll stay until you fall asleep." He said,

"Why?"

"Because you're my bloody roomie." He smirked, "Now close your eyes." he ordered her. Gen did as she was told, her hand squeezing his. She couldn't tell him about the dreams, it would only concern him. There was no doubt when morning came, he would ask a hundred questions about what happened and she would lie. She would tell him she was fine. That it was just a dream and it meant nothing at all. Her mind was racing and all she could think of was Minho's fist colliding with the Maze over and over, Adam's screams and the look in Minho's eyes. She watched him go over the edge and that was it. She merely _watched _him. She did nothing to help him and that was the one thing that made her hate herself.


	20. I Need You

The days past slowly and things were starting to get harder being the only female in the Glade- especially when it came to the bathroom. No matter how many times she approached Gally about it, he refused to make a separate one. Instead, she was forced to take guesses at when the bathroom would be free and then attempt to bathe and do whatever else she had to do before one of the boys walked in. As Gen stepped out of the bathroom, she quickly scanned the area before picking up the bags that contained her dirty clothes and darted back towards her room- according to Gally, some of the Sloppers had been planning to 'accidentally' walk in whilst she was bathing. As she continued to walk towards the room, her wet hair sticking to the back of her neck, Gen could not help but be grateful that she had earned Gally's respect. Gally had even, when notified, stood outside the bathroom with a menacing look on his face. As for her nightmares? Gen truly believed that there would be no end to them. They seemed to be worse each night, but there were only so many ways she could watch everyone in the Glade die horribly. She wouldn't admit to anyone about how bad the nightmares were getting or just how fearful she had become of the Maze and whatever it was that stalked its corridors.

"Minho...?" Stopping dead in her tracks, her eyes fell onto the dark haired teen, watching as he moved towards his room. That was all she had done: Watch him. It was obvious that he wasn't okay, it was also obvious that he was upset at the loss of Adam, no matter how hard he tried to pretend that everything was fine. "Minho!" Calling out his name, she moved towards him. She would no longer stand around and watch him blame himself for a death that was not his fault- she wanted to help him and she was going to do anything possible to help him, "Minho!" She called once more. Turning his head to look at her, Minho raised his eyebrow at her,

"What?" He snapped, Gen watched as he turned to face her, his hands placed securely on his hips,

"I just thought we could talk." Gen said, her eyes locked onto Minho who rolled his eyes. This was the first time they had spoken for _days._

"I'm not in the mood." He muttered as he turned on his heel and strode off, Gen close at his heels,

"Minho!" Grabbing his arm and spinning him around, Gen narrowed her eyes at him, "Would you just listen to me? This won't take long!" She persisted, her eyes searching his for the old, snarky Minho- but she only found anger and impatience in his eyes.

"Fine. What do you want?" Placing his hands on his hips once more, Minho raised his eyebrows at her. Gen stared at him; she wasn't even sure where to start, "Well?" He snapped, throwing his hands up. Gen couldn't help but flinch at his sudden outburst,

"I just... I know you're upset."

"Upset?" Minho questioned, "You think I'm upset? I'm not upset."

"Would you just _listen_?!" She cried as her temper rose with each second that passed. Minho bit his lip,

"Would you just shucking leave?" He replied in a soft mutter that was stern and menacing despite being only a whisper. Taking a hold of both of his arms, Gen forced him to look at her,

"No." She whispered back with an attempt of sounding soothing, "I know that you're hurt. Adam was your friend and I bet that right now you're re-living that moment over and over thinking about everything you could have done differently." Minho was silent, watching her with a glare, "Adam is.. He's gone... That's not your fault, Minho and somehow, I don't think he would want you to throw your life away."

"I'm not throwing my life away." He snapped, stepping back and out of her hold, "First Alby, then Ben and now you? Why won't you all just go?!" He snapped, his tone rising steadily to the point he was yelling at her. Naturally, a crowd had gathered around the pair and the inaudible whispered filled the air, but Gen made no noise, she simply stood still, her eyes locked onto Minho.

"I'm here because I'm not going to let you throw away your life!" She responded in a cry. She had never wanted to raise her voice at Minho, but he had given her no choice,

"Why do you even care?" Minho asked, his eyes scanning the faces that surrounded them.

"Because, I want you to remember who you are!" She replied, "I want you to let _someone_ in!"

"Why?" When Gen gave no reply, he stepped forward to grab both her arms, "Why are you doing this, huh? What do you want from me? Why is everyone trying to 'save' me?"

"Because I have to, Minho!" Gen cried back at him, but not with a concerning or a pleading tone of voice, but with irritation and frustration as she stepped back and out of Minho's hold, who stared at her with a mixture of surprise and frustration, "Because I _owe _you." Minho stared at her before he quickly looked away from her. He knew what she was referring to as did everyone else who were standing around. Minho saved her life and she owed him. "I watched you go over the edge and I didn't do anything to stop you." She told him, her tone becoming softer, Minho's brow furrowed and a look of stubbornness crossed his features,

"You couldn't of."

"Sure I could of... I just didn't want to." Her words lingered in the air and the whispered all stopped, "But, now I want to. Now, I'm going to stay with you every day, every second until you don't need me anymore. _That_ I promise you."

"Why would you do that?" Minho asked,

"Because_ I_ need you." Gen said, "And I will _not _stand around and let you destroy yourself." Minho smirked, placing his hands on his hips,

"It's not up to you." The words cut through her like a blade, but nothing was worse when he turned his back on her,

"Minho! Don't you dare walk away from me!" She cried, following him. Minho simply ignored her as he continued to walk away from her, "Minho!" Clenching her jaw, Gen no longer cared that they had a crowd watching them, bending over to pick up a decent sized rock. Without thinking, Gen pelted it at Minho, hitting him in the back of the head; there was a brief silence as Minho stopped moving altogether before he turned on his heel and strode towards her,

"You shucking slinthead!" He yelled angrily, taking her by the arms and shaking her. Wrapping her arms around his forearms, she narrowed her eyes,

"Go ahead! Do your worst!" She cried back, too angry to think otherwise. Minho stared at her, his face was filled with fury, but he did not make a single move to hurt her, instead, he seemed somewhat confused by her comment,

"Hey! Break it up!" Moving between them, Alby pushed the pair apart and turned on Minho who was still staring at Gen, "What's going on?"

"Ask her." Minho hissed, his eyes not leaving Gen once. Moving towards him, Gen would have slapped him if it weren't for an arm that wrapped itself around her waist and pulled her back, looking over her shoulder, she saw that it was Newt who had grabbed her and when she looked back to Minho, she noticed that his presence only made Minho glare more. Alby's eyes turned to her,

"He's right." She began, her eyes turning to Minho, "It's my fault." As the words reached Minho's ears, his face softened and a look of confusion crossed his features, "I tried to help when I shouldn't have." She said, looking Alby dead in the eyes, "I threw the rock and injured him. I broke the rules." Nodding, Alby kept a serious expression,

"Thank you for your honesty." He said, "But you're right. You broke the rules and now you must be punished. You'll spend a night in the Slammer and you get to fix this shuck." He muttered, turning to look at Minho who wore a neutral expression, giving a satisfied nod at Alby's decision. Staring at Alby, Gen kept calm,

"Then get Minho to the Med-Jack hut so I can clean his wound." She said, her eyes flicking towards Minho who was being shuffled towards the building by a few of the onlookers. Moving away from Newt, who flashed her a sympathetic look, Gen followed Minho towards the hut.


	21. Bad Blood

Minho was silent, his eyes locked onto the nearby wall as Gen slowly ran the damp cloth over the back of his head. She had hit him rather hard and even drew blood- a worthy reason to be sent to the Slammer. She was a Glader and it wouldn't have been fair if she was not treated more kindly for being a girl. Dropping the damp cloth, Gen moved over towards the shelf, picking up a white cream that would fight of any infections that could arise from the wound,

"Gen?" Ignoring him, Gen moved back towards Minho who was watching her, waiting for a sign that she had heard him, "Gen?" That time, Minho knew for certain she had heard him, "Are you going to shucking answer me?" Moving behind where Minho sat, Gen unscrewed the lid, dipping the tips of her fingers into the smooth scream before she placed them gently against the back of Minho's head, rubbing it across the thin cut. "Look, I get it. I didn't have to yell at you... I probably shouldn't have acted that way." He mumbled, finally giving up on trying to get Gen to address him. Freezing, Gen pulled her hand back,

_'__Is__ this is way of apologising?' _She wondered as she moved around to face him. Gen tilted her head, her eyes examining his face before she parted her lips,

"You... shouldn't have acted that way?" She repeated, trying to be sure that she had heard him correctly. Minho shrugged his shoulders,

"What do you want me to say?" He mumbled, his brow furrowing. Gen took a breath,

"I want you to let someone in. Anyone. I want you to have someone you can just talk to instead of bottling everything up." She told him. "Don't you have someone you can open up to?" She asked, kneeling down in front of him, her hands resting on his knees. Minho smirked,

"This is the Glade." He told her, "The more you open up... the more you care... the more you care, the more you have to lose." Gen stared at him, trying to make eye contact with the teen who kept his head low, his eyes not seeming to be focused on anything, "Adam isn't the first to be banished and he won't be the last."

"I'm sorry." Standing back up, Gen moved around to return to Minho's wound, "You saved my life, you know that?" Minho didn't reply, he simply stared ahead as Gen returned to rubbing the cream on the back of his head, "You saved me and I owe you. So, if you think this is going to make me stop pestering you. Think again." Gen couldn't help but smirk as she spoke and she noticed that the corners of Minho's mouth twitched upward in a small smile before dropping, "Get used to seeing me around, Minho." As Minho turned his head around to look at her, Gen jumped back, her eyes locking onto the dark haired boy's,

"Why are you bothering with me, shuck?" He asked, raising his eyebrow softly, "I'm sure there are plenty of shanks around here you can waste your time on. I hear Newt is pretty despertae for your attention." He mocked. Gen rolled her eyes,

"What do I have to do to make you just accept that we're friends?" She asked. Stepping back, Gen watched as Minho stood and moved around the chair to face her,

"Friends?" He questioned in what seemed to be disbelief. Gen shrugged her shoulder, "Even after what I did?" He then asked,

"Those are the little things that define us." She smiled, "It's done and dusted now... just bad blood." She said. Minho watched her before he took a few small steps towards her and wrapped his hand around her wrist. Gen held her breath, staring at Minho who then placed his forehead against hers,

"Bad blood?" He mused, "Who even says that?" Gen couldn't help but giggle,

"You always have to have the last word, don't you?" Minho grinned, pulling back and letting his hand rise to touch her cheek, his rough fingers trailing her jawline,

"Absolutely." Gen would have replied, but she was too busy staring at Minho, trying to think while his touch sent shivers up her spine. Stepping back and away from Minho's touch, Gen quickly looked away from him,

"Minho..." She began, "Do you have nightmares?" Looking back at him, Gen noticed that he was frowning slightly at her question,

"I used to. Why?" Shaking her head, Gen smiled,

"It doesn't matter." Avoiding his gaze, Gen turned her back on him, "Your head should be fine. I better go find Alby so he doesn't think I'm avoiding the Slammer."

"Gen-"

"If the pain persists, go see Clint."

"Genevieve."

"What?" Whirling around to face him, Gen raised her eyebrows at him in question, "What is it?" She asked, her eyes locked onto Minho who wore a smirk,

"I'm not getting you anymore flowers." Grinning at his comment, Gen gave a steady nod before she turned away once more and stepped out of the hut.


	22. The Phoenix

The Chancellor of WICKED sat still, her hazel eyes fixated onto the small screen that watched over the brain activity of the girl they had called the Phoenix. Ava Paige said nothing, her white, pressed attire was flawless as always and her greying hair was tied back in a tight bun. The girl, Genevieve had lasted longer than the other two- which was a surprise to even her. Originally, Genevieve was to be placed in Group B along with the other females, but it had been strongly suggested that Genevieve and the other boy... Benjamin swap positions. Ava wouldn't have agreed to it, but Genevieve proved to be quite interesting in the way she behaved around the boys, who, no one could deny- were all dripping with hormones as all boys their age did. But her reasoning for being interested in the Phoenix girl was not because of how she acted around the boys, it was because Ava saw something the others didn't, something that would serve them well in the future. Rising from her chair, Ava's eyes lingered on Genevieve's image for only a second longer before she stepped out of her office, the clacking sound of her high heels on the marble floor echoing through the laboratory, where she moved towards two teenagers, a male with short brown hair and brown eyes and a girl around the same age with long brown hair and blue eyes. As the pair saw her approaching them, they immediately fell quiet, watching her with anticipation,

"What can you tell me about the Phoenix?" She asked, her eyes flicking between the pair who both looked down at the screen in front of them,

"Genevieve?" The boy, Thomas asked, his eyes looking back up at the Chancellor who nodded, "Her brain activity is the same as the others... but, she's been having nightmares, which causes an increase in brain activity, but other than that, she's fine." He informed her, looking to his co-worker and fellow creator of the Maze, Teresa.

"Is the swipe working?" She asked, referring to the lack of memories all of them entered the Maze with. Thomas gave a nod,

"Of course." Turning towards one of the research assistants who walked around the lab with no real purpose, Ava smiled softly, "Would you be so kind as to get Peter for me?" She asked. The brunette female gave a stiff nod before she rushed off. When Ava looked back to Thomas and Teresa, she noticed the pair where giving her questioning looks,

"Through the swipe, we're able to have limited access to the subjects brains and in some cases; actions." She said, earning a nod from the pair, "The Phoenix is important and in order to be sure she is put on the right path, I want someone to be able to contact her through these... nightmares." She explained, causing Teresa's brow to furrow,

"But... why would we do that now?" She asked, "What purpose does that serve?" Ava turned her gaze to Teresa, but gave no reply. There was no point in stating her case twice. Once the girl had arrived back with Peter, she would have enough time to explain without having to repeat herself. Listening to the sound of the glass door close shut, Ava turned her head to address the man in his late thirties that approached her. Peter was a tall, broad man with short, light brown hair that was combed with a slight stubble and blue eyes. The man worked as one of the scientists that created the swipe and was very man that prepared Genevieve for the Maze.

"What's happening, doll?" Peter cooed as he and the assistant approached Ava, who sighed at the disrespect that laced Peter's words,

"I have a job for you." She informed him, watching as Peter placed his hands on his hips and bit his lower lip,

"Do tell."

"It has to do with your precious Genevieve." She smirked, watching as Peter's eyes lit up. Genevieve was his masterpiece, his own creation in a way. Each of the Scientists had their own subjects, but Peter had only the one: The Phoenix.

"I hear she's fitting in well with the boys. What's the issue?" He asked, crossing his arms over his chest and tapping his foot impatiently. Ava smiled politely, using all the restraint she had not to order his immediate arrest.

"I fear that The Phoenix's role has been jeopardised. She shows no interest in the boys at all." Ava stated with a slight frown. Peter clicked his tongue,

"The Phoenix..." He mused, "Such a beautiful creature..." Flicking his blue eyes back up to meet her's, Ava shifted slightly,

"Uhm... yes. I fear that our experiment will fail."

"_Your e_xperiment." Peter quipped, "If she shows no interest, she obviously has high standards." He remarked. Ava frowned,

"You're going to change that." Peter's eyes narrowed slightly, watching her with a mixture of curiosity and suspicion,

"How?"

"Genevieve has been suffering from Nightmares." She explained, "Due to the nature of them, it causes her brain activity to increase. By using the Swipe you placed within her mind. I want you to make contact with her through these dreams." She spoke clearly and calmly, making sure that Peter understood every word that escaped her mouth.

"With all due respect. That type of contact could have... horrible effect on her." Peter frowned, "It could quite easily drive her to insanity." Stepping forward, Ava narrowed her eyes slightly as she placed her hand on Peter's broad shoulder and spoke low enough so only he could hear,

"Your precious Phoenix is the key to Man-Kind's survival." She told him. Peter smirked, moving away from her as she placed his hands behind his back,

"Why of course, how are a bunch of boys going to repopulate?" He smirked, "But, I would not recommend bringing a new generation into the world without having found a cure for the Flare." Peter pointed out. Ava smiled softly,

"The decision has been made." She informed him, "I don't need her to bring the new generation forward now. I just need her to want to with another Immune subject. Preferably subject A7. " As she turned her back on Peter, she took a small breath. Her plan would work. She just knew it.


	23. The Man Within my Dreams

An ear-piercing scream escaped Gen's trembling lips as she continued to run through the Maze, its twists and turns becoming more and more complex with every step she took. '_I need to escape.__'_She was lost and scared and seemed to be running in endless circles all the while she listened to the low growls of death, that thirsted for just a small taste of her blood,

"Genevieve?" Gen stopped running and once again found herself in a long corridor, the cracked walls of the Maze were covered with vines and thorns. The voice was a strangers, and since she had heard the voice, the growling had stopped, leaving a chilling silence that lingered in the air.

"Hello?" Taking a step forward, Gen listened to the sound of her breathing which elevated with every step she took, but she had to keep going. She had no idea why, but she had to. Staring at the end of the pathway, Gen set her sights onto the unfamiliar face of an older man, his blue eyes were watching her with interest, "W-who are you?" She whimpered, snapping her head around at the sound of a low growl that came from inside the very walls. As she placed her hands over her head, Gen tried her best to shut out the sounds, but they only seemed to grow louder and louder. Looking back to the stranger, Gen analysed his clothes that were covered in dirt and leaves: he wore a plain black t-shirt with a pair of ripped jeans and judging from the small cuts across his face, he looked like he was trapped in the Maze with her, "Where's... Minho?" She asked, knowing all to well that the man could not possibly hear her from the distance. The man moved towards her and with each step he took, the growls grew louder and the wind picked up, blowing her hair back and causing her eyes to dry out. Blinking, she tried her best to keep an eye on the man who moved towards her, with neutral expression on his face that showed no hint of kindness, "Stop. Please, just leave me alone." Gen sobbed, moving backwards away from the man who had now picked up his pace,

"Genevieve... the Phoenix..." His voice was deep and mature, but it was the way he spoke her name... as if he knew exactly who she was. Gen continued to back away before she spun on her heel and ran back the way she came only to find that all that remained was a wall and nothing else. Gen slammed her palms against the hard concrete in desperation, the tears were running down her cheeks as she searched for somewhere to run. Spinning around, Gen's pressed her back to the wall, watching as the man continued to approach her. Letting out a scream, the man lunged forward, placing his hand over her mouth while he used his body to hold her in place. Gen squirmed against the man's hold with no sign of escaping. Keeping her eyes locked onto the man, Gen watched as he used his other hand to press his index finger against his lips, signalling for her to be quiet. Giving a small nod, Gen forced herself to be calm as the man moved his hand away from her mouth, but remained at close proximity with her,

"Who are you?" Gen whispered, tears leaking out the corners of her eyes. The man tilted his head, running the back of his hand down her cheek, "And what do you mean, the Phoenix?"

"I'm here to help. You can trust me." He told her in a soothing tone, wiping away her tears. Giving a small nod, Gen watched the strange man who stepped back to examine their surroundings, "An interesting depiction. I'm surprised that you've managed to create an accurate image of the Maze without even being inside it." He said, more to himself than her. Pushing herself off of the wall, Gen moved towards the man,

"What did you mean when you called me 'The Phoenix'?" Gen asked timidly, her eyes watching the man,

"A phoenix, my dear is a bird that is cyclically reborn. It's commonly associated with the sun..." His words trailed off as if there was an irony that Gen missed completely, "a phoenix obtains new life by arising from the ashes of its predecessor and while the phoenix typically dies by bursting into flames, there are less popular versions of the myth in which the mythical bird dies and simply decomposes before being born again." The man explained, before he spun on his heel to face her, "As for why _you _have been compared to this magnificent bird... you have a fire within you." Gen was silent, trying to understand his words before she spoke once more,

"How did you get here? You're not from the Glade are you?" She said, watching him with suspicion. The man looked over his shoulder at her, flashing a cheeky grin,

"The Glade? That's cute." He smirked, causing Gen to frown,

"Where's Minho?" She asked, looking around the area. The man spun on his heel to face her,

"Minho? Minho, Minho, Minho..." He mused, burrowing his brow in thought before he nodded, "Ah! The Asian kid that Runs the Maze. He's quite a snarky one isn't he?" Gen simply stared at him, taking a small step back away from the man. She didn't trust him and so far, he was giving her no reason to. Moving towards her once more, her facial expression became serious, "Who are the other boys you're in contact with?" He asked. Gen backed away at a rather quick rate, her back once again hitting the wall,

"What do you mean?" She stammered. The man stopped, once again within an uncomfortably close proximity,

"Who do you spend your time with most?" He whispered softly, pushing the hair back behind her ear. Gen trembled with fear, she wanted nothing more than to melt into the walls, "Minho and...?"

"Clint... Jeff... Newt..." Giving her an approving smile, the man tilted his head,

"Are you scared of me?" He asked. Gen gave no reply, simply staring at the man who smirked at her inability to speak, "You shouldn't be. I told you... I'm here to help." Taking a small breath, Gen used every inch of strength she had to part her lips,

"Who are you?" The words came out in no more than a whisper, but were just loud enough for the man to hear. Stroking her hair, the man smiled,

"My name is Peter." He said, "We can talk more, but right now you need to wake up." Blinking, Peter disappeared completely and Gen found herself in the Slammer covered in sweat and trembling.

"It was just a dream." She whispered to herself, "It was just a dream."


	24. Secrets We Never Tell

"Rise and shine, Minho attacker." Newt's voice rang in Gen's ears, causing her to jump with fright. As Newt opened the gate to the Slammer, he frowned at the sight of her, "What the bloody hell happened to you? You look like you've run the Maze." He said with a frown. Gen looked up at him as she ran a hand across her sweaty forehead,

"You have no idea." She smirked at the irony, moving towards the exit, Gen climbed out of the Slammer, allowing Newt to see the affects of the nightmares. Looking her up and down, Newt's expression changed to one of concern and as he grabbed her arm, he looked around to make sure no one was around before he dragged her towards the back wall of the homestead out of sight,

"What's going on?" Newt asked seriously, his eyes locked onto hers. Gen was silent, she didn't want to tell him about her dreams, especially her recent one. Shaking her head lightly, Gen shrugged her shoulders,

"I'm fine. I just need to bathe." She replied lightly, her eyes looking everywhere but into Newt's eyes,

"You're doing that bloody thing again."

"What thing?" She asked,

"Lying to me." He retorted. Placing his fingers underneath Gen's chin, Newt lifted her face to look up at him, "What's going on? You've been waking up every night in a cold sweat." He said,

"I didn't think you were awake." Gen said. Newt shrugged,

"I'm a light sleeper. Now bloody spill." He said, stepping back and crossing his arms over his chest, "You can tell me." Gen watched him and found that she could not helped but feel somewhat soothed at Newt's words, his calming tone of voice and strange accent that never seemed to both her,

"I've been having nightmares." She said, watching for Newt's reaction, which he didn't give, "about the Maze. It's always the same dream... I'm running through the Maze. Running away from something. Sometimes it gets me, other times it doesn't... I never see it coming." Gen took a small breath, "But, this last one was different. There was a man in my dreams... Peter, I think his name was." As the words reached Newt's ears, a slight frown formed on his face, "I had never seen the man before in my life. But, it all just seemed so real and the things he said to me... I could never think of something like that. He spoke to me about the Maze and that I had imagined it correctly despite not knowing what it actually looks like... and he spoke of a Phoenix... He said that I was a Phoenix and that I had a fire within me." Newt continued to stare at her, seemingly speechless at her words, "You think I'm crazy, don't you?" Gen asked in disbelief at the sheer coldness of his newly formed demeanour,

"Listen to me. Don't you dare tell anyone about that." Newt told her, a serious expression on his face as he spoke, "Not Alby. Not Minho. No one." Stepping back, Gen frowned,

"Why?"

"Because they'll think the worst!" Newt responded, "Because they'll think that you've lost it."

"Oh? Is that what you think?" She snapped bitterly. Newt crossed his arms,

"We all have nightmares that make us feel a little crazy. Even I've had nightmares. They can make you want to do things, but-"

"But, it's completely different because I'm so much _crazier _than you!" Gen had not even noticed that she was yelling at Newt, who stood his ground, his expression not changing, "Well you know what? Screw you, shuck!" Shoving him with as much force as she could muster, Gen watched as Newt's back hit the wall with a thud before she turned on her heel and stormed off, tears blurred her eyes, but she did not look back at the blonde who pushed himself off of the wall and followed her.

"Gen. Look at me. I don't think you're bloody crazy." Newt said as he followed her. Gen kept walking, picking up the pace in an attempt to lose Newt,

"Yes. Yes you do!" She argued, "I saw the look in your eyes." As Newt grabbed her arm, Gen spun around, "Get off of me!" She cried angrily at him, causing him to flinch away from her,

"Just let me explain." Newt said, outstretching his hand towards her,

"Don't you dare touch me. You're a liar. You told me you'd listen and you lied." There were tears in her eyes, that she refused to let fall as she grabbed the collar of Newt's stained white shirt. "I opened up to you and you judged me!" She hissed angrily, "You are a shuck. You are are a shuck and you need to stay away from me!" Newt grabbed both of her arms tightly,

"You need to listen to me!"

"I don't need to do anything!" She cried at him, pushing him back away from her as she turned on her heel,

"Genevieve!" Newt called, following her, "We're the same, okay? We're the bloody same." Stopping, Gen turned to face him, the tears had escaped and ran ever so slowly down her cheeks, but she didn't care,

"What are you talking about?" She asked, wiping her face,

"You asked me how I got this bloody limp? Well, I'll tell you." He began, "Back when I was a Runner, I had nightmares, just like you. I hated this place and you wanna know what _I _did? I climbed half way up those walls and jumped. Just like that. I tried to _kill_ myself in the Maze." Gen stared at him with a mixture of disbelief and guilt and tears continued to run down her cheeks, "I would have succeeded too, if it weren't for Clint and the other Med-Jacks." Looking down, Newt avoided her gaze, "If you think you're the only crazy one... I... I just..." As Newt began to choke up, Gen quickly cupped his face and shifted his gaze up to meet hers,

"Shh, it's okay." She soothed, "I'm sorry. I took it too far." Looking back at her, Newt nodded,

"I'm sorry too." He replied, "I should have known you weren't bloody okay." Pulling her close to him, Newt wrapped his arms around her, "I'm sorry... I just, I thought the bloody worst and I didn't know what I was going to do if you tried to..." He voice trailed off but she understood his meaning,

"I wouldn't dare." She replied in an attempt to be more light hearted on the topic, "Who'd look after you?" As she pulled back to look at him, Gen noticed a slight frown on Newt's face before he lifted his hand, his fingers brushing lightly across her collar bone, finding their way to the string around her neck. Pulling it upwards, Newt lifted his other hand to gently take the coin, flipping it over in his fingers,

"I've seen this before..." He mumbled, his gaze not leaving the coin once, "This... this is Minho's." Pulling away from him and allowing the coin to fall back under her top, Gen gave him a pleading look,

"Don't tell him I have it. I'm waiting for a good time to give it back." She informed him. Usually, Newt would have questioned her, but instead, he flashed her a smile and a nod, signalling that he would be quiet and understanding- just for a day at least.


	25. What You Fear

"You..." Gen breathed as the dark haired man she knew only as Peter walked towards her. Once again, they were standing in the one way corridor and Peter was between her and the rest of the Maze,

"Me..." His voice reached her ears and sent shivers up her spine,

"Why are you here?"

"I'm here to help." He said, his hands on his hips as he stopped a few metres from her, "Remember?" Gen's eyes lingered on the cracked walls of the Maze.

"Am I crazy?" She asked,

"Of course you aren't." Peter replied, following her gaze, "If anything, you're far more sane than any of those boys in the Glade." He said in a reassuring tone of voice. Gen closed her eyes tightly and opened them again to find herself still looking at Peter, who gave her a dumbfounded look, "Is my company really that bad?" Gen took a step back,

"This usually works." She mused, looking down at her torn clothing, "Why am I still here?"

"How am I supposed to know that?" Peter scoffed, shifting towards the wall of the maze and running his hands along it, "I'm just here as a Guardian Angel... so to speak."

"Then can you tell me what's out there?" Gen asked, Peter looked over his shoulder at her and cocked an eyebrow at her,

"The Maze?"

"No. I mean those things chasing me." She asked, fear entering her mind at the mere thought of the low growls that haunted her,

"Oh... right. I suggest you ask your buddy Minho." Peter said, "It would be just so much easier for you and for me." Spinning around, Peter turned on her, "You told Newt about me." He mused, crossing his arms over his chest, "Didn't go well, did it?" Gen stepped back away from him,

"How do you know about that?"

"It's imprinted in your mind, sweetheart." Peter replied with a sly smile, "I know everything that goes on in that pretty little head of yours."

"Oh yeah, like what?" She snapped, her eyes narrowing at the man who flashed her a smile,

"The Phoenix at last..." Looking her up and down, Peter walked around her and Gen could feel his eyes on her at all times, "What do I know about you...?" His words lingered in the air around them as his fingers trailed along her shoulder blades, "I know that you're scared of what's in the Maze."

"That's obvious, Peter." Gen replied with a smirk, "Anyone could work that out." As Peter made his way back in front of her, he leaned forward so his lips brushed against her ear,

"You're scared that Minho will die just like Adam did." Gen opened her mouth to speak,

"You're wrong." Pulling back, Peter smirked,

"Am I, love?"

"Yes." Peter stepped back, the same sly smile on his face,

"Of course, how foolish of me... You're frightened of death in general... just not your own death. You're scared that if you grow too close to someone they'll die. You also fear that you'll end up like Gally with nothing but a worthless item and a haunting sentiment constantly reminding you of that someone you used to care about." Gen stared at him, she didn't like Peter at all,

"I'm going to give the coin back when I find the right time." She said.

"No, you're not. It means more to you than it does him. But you already know that sentiment is a dangerous thing." Pausing, his eyes flickered around them before they set back onto her. Gen swallowed,

"You're lying again. Minho's been a shuck lately so I haven't been able to talk to him properly." She said, still unsure as to why she trying to justify herself to Peter

"Can't you just let this bad blood between you two dry?" Peter sighed. Gen froze,

"Bad Blood?" She questioned, her brow furrowing as the words ran through her head,

"Yeah." Peter nodded, "Bad Blood. It means-"

"I know what it means." She interrupted before she looked away from him, her and Minho's interaction swimming through her head. Peter cleared his throat, cauing her gaze to meet his once more, "You know, if all we do is look back, we will surely drive ourselves insane." He said, as if he knew exactly what she was thinking about- which he had claimed that he did.

"But, isn't it the past which defines us?" Gen asked. Peter smirked,

"Who says we can't make our own path?" Gen was silent her eyes falling to her feet and noticing her expression, Peter tilted his head, "but, don't worry. I'm going to teach you how to control your fears instead of letting them control you." Gen stared at him,

"Why would you do that?" Peter smirked,

"Funny you ask that. I-"

"You want something in return?" She questioned with a frown on her face. Peter rolled his eyes,

"No... I've dedicated my life to helping spitfire little girls with their emotional problems. Of course I want something in return!" He snapped, causing Gen to flinch. Peter took a calming breath before speaking once more, "But that is a conversation for a later date." Pushing past her, Gen listened to his steady footsteps growing fainter as he walked away from her,

"Aren't you coming?" Gen turned her body to face him. He stood only a few feet away and held his hand out towards her. Feeling her very core grow cold, Gen's head snapped around at the hungry growls that filled her head once more, "Genevieve!" Gen forced herself to look back at Peter who had his hand still outstretched towards her, an urgent expression on his face, "Come on. We're running out of time!" Gen stared at him, seemingly frozen,

"I don't trust you.."

"We don't have time for this. Take my hand or else you'll drown within your own fears." His tone was crisp and to the point, but was still laced with urgency as he looked around them, "Genevieve. If you want to control your fears, you have to trust me." Making eye-contact with her, he took a breath, "Trust me." Gen paused, the growling was so loud that it resembled almost a scream that echoed in her head, she had a choice. _Stay and die, or go with Peter. Stay and die, or go with Peter. _Blinking, Genevieve made the choice. As she ran forward, Gen reached out to Peter, grabbing a hold of his hand as Peter turned, running through the Maze, "Don't look back!" He commanded her as Gen listened to the sounds of monsters that chased them, she wanted to look back, to see what it was that was tormenting her. But instead, Gen listened to Peter and kept her sight ahead of them, holding onto Peter's hand as tightly as possible.

Peter and Gen ran through the Maze, its twists and turns seemed to be more greeting and accepting than before and Gen almost felt safe with Peter. "Not much further!" Peter told her as they continued to run, the thrill of the chase was coursing through Gen's very veins. As Peter had said, Gen and he found an exit- a clearing just ahead of them and from what Gen could see, a small hut was welcoming them as they drew closer. It wasn't the Glade, but it still felt as though it was home to her. As Peter and Gen ran out of the Maze and into the wooden hut, Gen let go of Peter's hand, watching as he turned to close the door behind them. The hut was small and dark and the only thing Gen could smell was old, rotting wood and mould,

"Where are we?" She breathed, inhaling the foul air through her nostrils. Peter turned his head to examine the small, empty room they had found themselves in and frowned,

"I... don't know." He replied, "Have you seen this place before?" He asked. Gen shook her head,

"Never." She replied, searching for some kind of sign that she knew where they were. Peter smirked,

"The mind is a marvelous thing." He mused, "It has the ability to materialize places that have been long forgotten." Gen frowned at him,

"I told you I've never seen this place before."

"Of course you have. You just don't remember." He replied. Gen watched as he moved towards her and placed his warm hands on her shoulders, his blue eyes locked with hers, "I want you to remember this place, okay?" Gen gave a steady nod, "Everytime you go to sleep, I want you to think of this place, I want you to remember how it smells, how the air feels... can you do that for me?" Gen once again nodded, "Good, girl. This is where we're going to meet. But before I go, you must promise me that you'll not only let me help you, but you'll also help yourself."

"I promise.." Gen said with reluctance, not fully understanding what he meant. She didn't know anything about Peter, but there was something about him that made her trust him. Closing her eyes, Gen listened as Peter spoke one last time, "And don't forget, WICKED is good..."

Gen opened her eyes, her nose greeting the familiar smell of her and Newt's room and the itchy feeling of the moldy blanket. For the first time, Gen felt completely rested.


	26. Partner In Crime

"Hey, Gen... Gen, wake up!" Opening her eyes, Gen gave out a yawn- she must have dozed off. Allowing her eyes to focus, she found Clint standing above her, his eyes fixated onto her, "Hey there..." Sitting up, Gen's eyes widened with alarm,

"What are you doing in here?" She questioned him, staring at him as if he had killed one of Winston's baby animals,

"Alby sent me to wake you." He explained stepping back and away from her, watching with a distinct nervousness in his eyes as Gen's feet found the floor,

"Why?" She asked as she stretched her arms out in front of her,

"Well... yesterday you seemed kinda off and he didn't have a chance to talk to you about Minho." Clint explained carefully, "I think he wants you two to make up." He added with a small smirk. Gen rolled her eyes, following Clint out of the room and into the blinding sunlight,

"We already have... kinda." She said, her brow furrowing slightly, "And plus, there's a rule that we can't alone together."

"Yeah well, Alby is sick of the fighting." He replied,

"Maybe I'm sick of Captain Alby." Gen muttered, crossing her arms as Clint gave her an alarming look, "I can talk to Minho when he gets back if it's _that _much of an issue."

"He's here in the Glade." Clint replied, causing Gen to look at him, "It's his day off."

"Since when does Minho have days off?" Gen asked. Everyone in the Glade knew that he had taken up the extra shifts, so the fact he had chosen to accept his day off was just madness,

"Since you yelled at him and threw that rock at his shuck-head." Clint said with a snigger. Gen gave him a rather embarrassed look, it was now that she had started to think it was in fact her that went over the edge and not Minho as she so rudely pointed out to him.

"Do me a favor and tell Alby I'm on my way." Gen said, stopping in her tracks. Clint shook his head at her,

"No, no. Alby said that he wanted to see you." He said with a frown, "You have to go see him."

"Captain Alby can wait." Gen assured him, "I'm just going to pay Minho a visit."

"No."

"I won't hurt him!" Gen quickly responded after receiving a look from Clint,

"I am sick of having Minho in the shucking hut. You hurt him and you can patch him up in _your _room away from me." Clint threatened, causing Gen to laugh.

"Okay, okay. Tell Alby I went to have a shower or something like that." She smirked before turning on her heel and moving in the opposite direction to which they had originally come from.

Stepping back towards the Homestead, Gen tried to make sure she avoided Newt, wherever he had gone off to. It wasn't that things were awkward between them, if anything, since he had told her about his leg, she felt they had become more connected and even more trusting of each other. But when it came to Minho, Newt was stubborn and generally unimpressed with any connection she had with him. The more she thought about it however, the more it made sense. But she was going to see Minho for her own reasons, not because she wanted to start trouble- even though Minho was her partner in crime. Or well, he was about to be. Walking towards Minho's hut, Gen slammed her fist against the door three times, pressing her ear against the door to listen to Minho's aggravated groans at having been woken,

"Open up you lazy shuck!" She cried, once again slamming her fist against the door. Listening to the sound of cussing and shuffling feet, Gen stood back and wore a broad smile as a tired Minho opened the door, rubbing his eyes,

"What do you want, shank?" He asked. Gen grinned at him,

"A partner in crime." She said, pushing past him and entering his room. Minho gave out a sigh before he turned on his heel and closed the door behind him, facing Gen with a questioning expression on his face,

"Partner in crime?" He asked, "that sounds pretty stupid to me..." Gen frowned at him,

"Why is that? It's a figure of speech" Minho shrugged,

"Well, knowing you, we'd be caught and thrown into the Slammer." Rolling her eyes, Gen made herself at home, propping herself up onto Minho's hammock that was still warm, "What's up?"

"I want to be a Runner." Staring at her with disbelief, Minho shook his head,

"No."

"Just for a day." Gen whined, leaning forward to further prove just how keen she was. She was determined to face her fear just like the imaginary man in her head had told her to do. _Maybe I am a little crazy... _She thought to herself. Minho once again shook his head, giving her a stubborn look,

"No."

"Come on, I at least deserve a trial." Gen pressured, slipping off of the hammock and moving towards Minho, "I just want to be able to face what's in the Maze and then that's it."

"Why are you obsessed with the Maze now?" Minho asked, his arms still crossed over his chest. Gen sighed,

"Because I've had nightmares and I just wanna face my fears. Is that so wrong of me?" She asked. Minho rolled his eyes,

"Everyone has nightmares."

"Then... there shouldn't be a problem." Gen smiled, "I can always just ask Captain Alby." Minho sniggered at the new nickname,

"Captain Alby? I like it. But, my answer is still no." Groaning, Gen turned her back on him, flailing her arms around as she did so,

"Minho!" She whined, "Just one day! Just tomorrow. Please?" Turning back to face him, Gen grabbed onto each arm, forcing him to uncross his arms before she gave him her best impression of the puppy dog look she had learnt from Samuel, "Just one day, you and me. We'll run the Maze and I won't do or say anything stupid. Got it, shank?" Tilting his head, Minho watched her with an amused smile,

"You're such an annoying shuck-face."

"Oh good. We have something in common." Gen grinned, "Now, let me be a Runner. For a day." She added, "Tomorrow." Moving towards the rickety, wooden table that sat in the corner of his room, Minho took a seat, gesturing for her to do the same. Sitting across from him, she raised her eyebrow,

"You wanna run, fine. You can run tomorrow with me, but that's it." Gen gave a nod, trying her best to contain her excitement, "After you run. If I catch you so much as _looking _at the Maze, I will lock you somewhere dark." He threatened. Gen frowned,

"Why? What if I wanted to be a Runner afterwards." Minho shook his head,

"How are you going to stay with me until I don't need you if you're lost in the Maze?" He asked. Gen grinned at him and gave a nod,

"Okay, Minho. Just one day then."

"Good. Now, listen up shuck. Cause I have _loads _to tell you."


	27. The Secrets of The Runner

The hours passed rather quickly and Gen and Minho had not moved from his room. She had no idea how angry Alby was going to be that she had not met up with him, but Minho and her had been discussing the Maze and Gen found herself not knowing whether or not she really wanted to enter the Maze after the information Minho had given her about what was inside,

"Grievers?" She whispered, the name repeating itself over and over in her head as she tried to take in the motherload of information Minho had given her,

"That's what we call them. They come out at night after the Maze closes. They're the reason no one has ever survived a night in the Maze." Minho told her,

"And... that's what stung Adam?" She asked, her eyes flicking down to Minho's still bruised hand. Shifting in his chair, Minho gave a nod,

"Yes. But, usually, we have what is called a grief serum that the Creators send up once a month with a new Greenie." He said, "Except when you came up, we didn't get any. Guess we traded in the Serum for a girl." He smirked,

"Oh, you're _so _funny." Gen exaggerated, rolling her eyes at his comment. "How many Serums do you get?"

"Two."

"And they heal people who have been stung?" Gen asked. Minho shook his head,

"The Serum is on and off. It really depends on the poor shuck who gets stung. Some people go insane, other's don't." He said, making it clear that it was a subject he wanted to steer clear from. Gen gave a nod, there was so much information that Alby and Newt neglected to tell her about.

"Have you ever been stung?" Gen asked. Minho shook his head,

"Not me." He replied, "But, I've seen enough to know that it's not a pleasant experience. After they get injected by the Serum... they start to go through what we call The Changing."

"What's that?" Gen frowned, it didn't sound pleasant at all, but she was curious and Minho was the first person who was willing to explain the mysteries of The Glade to her.

"It's just what happens after they're stung really. The only difference is, if they don't take the serum they die." He said, "I've never been through it, so I wouldn't know." He answered. His eyes falling to his hands. Something told Gen that Minho wasn't speaking the exact truth, but it was enough for her to realise it was a taboo topic.

"Why did you become a Runner?" She asked,

"We're talking about the Maze, not me." Minho retorted. Gen raised her eyebrows, leaning forward on her elbows,

"Fine. How do you cope with the things you see inside the Maze?" Minho was silent,

"I told you we're not talking about me."

"My question was technically about the Maze, shuck." Gen smirked, "Not everything is about you, ya know." Minho sniggered, but gave a steady nod,

"You get used to it. Plus, I'm more thinking 'Run' than anything else." He smirked, "But now, I have to think, 'Make sure that shank is keeping up'"

"I run pretty quickly according to Newt." Gen said defending herself. Minho scoffed,

"Newt's a shuck and a suck up."

"That doesn't mean he's not right." Gen smirked, sitting back in her chair and crossing her arms in triumph,

"No, it means the dude is a suck up and a dirty shuck." He repeated.

"You shouldn't be so mean." Gen replied softly, "You're starting to sound like Gally."

"Well, hate to break it to ya but... you're starting to look like him." He retorted. Gen's jaw dropped as she watched Minho who sniggered at his comment,

"Have you seen Gally lately?" Gen asked, rather offended by the comment.

"Okay, okay..." Minho sighed, "You're prettier than Gally, happy?" Gen smiled,

"Yes."

"Alright, maybe more than just prettier." Minho finally gave in, his eyes scanning the room before returning to her,

"I think that's the nicest thing you've ever said to me." Gen smirked lightly, "But, I still have questions."

"Shoot." Minho smirked, making it sound as if it were a game,

"What do the Runners do after the run?" She asked, Minho took a small breath,

"We map the Maze."

"You what?"

"We map it out." Minho repeated, "We have a hut just outside the Deadheads, no one but Runners can enter. We meet there and map it out."

"Why haven't I heard about this before?" Gen asked with a frown, she hadn't even noticed the so called 'Runners Hut'. Minho smirked,

"Because you're not a Runner... or a Keeper for that matter." He added,

"Then... why are you telling me?" She asked. Minho shrugged,

"Runner for a day still gets some privileges."

"Then do I get to go into this special hut of yours?" She asked. Gen knew all too well that she was pushing the boundaries, but it seemed to be more of a game than anything else. Minho grimaced,

"You'll just muck everything up." He stated, trying to contain the sneer that threatened to form on his features,

"I'm sure is how that's the Captain feels everytime you leave your room." Gen replied smugly.

"Captain Alby doesn't scare me." Minho said in a proud tone of voice, "Even with his look of disappointment."

"You're a shuck." Gen deadpanned.

"You say that a lot." Minho pointed out, "You might wanna be careful, or else I'll change my mind about letting you run the Maze." Gen narrowed her eyes,

"You wouldn't."

"Oh, but I would." Minho grinned as he placed his palms down on the table to lift himself from the chair, "Anything else you wanna know?" He asked. Gen stood, shrugging her shoulders,

"Anything else you need to tell me?" Furrowing his brow in thought, Minho tapped his chin with an over-exaggerated look of concentration on his face,

"Nope. You're free to go, shuck." He smirked as he lead Gen towards the door, "Don't be late tomorrow, girly." He said, opening the door to let her out. Gen smiled,

"I'd never dream of it. See you around, Minho." Moving out of the room and into the late afternoon light, Gen looked over her shoulder at Minho, "Thank you for being honest." Minho sighed,

"Don't get all dramatic on me now, girly." Gen giggled, turning her back,

"See you tomorrow!" She called, listening as Minho slowly closed the door.


	28. Run

When the Maze opened, Gen and Minho ran as fast as they could into the first corridor, ivy lacing the giant walls that made Gen feel more and more like a mouse searching for the cheese. Minho had told her everything she needed to know and he even got her some new shoes, but all that Gen could think about was the crippling fear that threatened to take control of her very being. But she refused to allow that to stop her from facing her fears. As she and Minho ran further into the Maze, Gen was surprised that she had managed to keep up with him. Minho looked over his shoulder at her and flashed her a grin,

"Keepin' up, girly?" He asked. Gen gave a soft nod as she concentrated on breathing. The Maze had many twists and turns just as it did inside her dreams, but Minho seemed to know every dead end and every path the maze had to offer. As the time went on, Minho would occasionally stop to cut a piece of Ivy from the wall and throw it down to leave 'breadcrumbs' as he called it. Eventually the pair came to a steady holt and Gen stopped, placing her hands on her knees as she panted. She was covered in sweat already and her side felt like someone had stabbed her,

"Break time." Minho said, collapsing to the ground and pushing himself back so that he was leaning against the wall. Gen did the same, moving back so that she was sitting beside him before pulling out the flask Minho had provided for her and taking a sip,

"You do this every day?" She panted, looking to Minho was was sipping water from his own flask. Gen had never drank a lot of water, but at that moment, the coolness of the water made her taste buds crave more. But she knew well enough that it would be a terrible idea to drink all of it before the day was over.

"Yep." Minho replied, his head resting back against the wall and his eyes closing momentarily, "Welcome to the glorious life of the Runner, Greenie." He smirked, opening his eyes once more and looking to her. Gen frowned slightly,

"I'm so glad I'm only doing this for a day." She muttered, causing Minho to snigger,

"Hard work, isn't it princess?" Gen shot him a foul look,

"Don't call me that." She snapped, grimacing at the new nickname he had come up with.

"You gonna eat anything?" Minho then asked, rummaging through his bag and pulling out one of Frypan's legendary sandwiches.

"I didn't bring anything." She replied with a frown. Minho paused,

"You're joking, right?" Gen shook her head and she could feel her cheeks flush with embarrassment,

"No. I didn't even think about lunch." Minho rolled his eyes,

"What did you think we did? Run the Maze all day without a break?" Gen gave a stiff nod causing Minho to laugh, "You're crazy if you think anyone is capable of that." There was a brief pause before Minho sighed and split the sandwich in half, offering her the larger half,

"No. That's yours." Gen said, looking away from the half.

"Just take it." Minho snapped, moving it up to her mouth, "Do I have to force feed you?" Gen watched him for only a second before she reluctantly took the half. Looking down at it, her stomach growled. She was hungry after all. Gen looked back to Minho was was already half way through his half of the sandwich before she took a small bite, growing ever so grateful that Minho had given it to her.

"Who doesn't bring lunch?" Minho scoffed, licking his fingertips before turning his entire body to face her. Gen's brow furrowed as she finished the last of the sandwich and shrugged,

"I'm sorry." She said, looking down to her the bag in her lap, "I wasn't thinking."

"Obviously not." Minho smirked. Sitting back, Minho seemed to freeze entirely as a clicking sound echoed through the corridor. Gen opened her mouth to speak but was cut off by Minho who placed his hand over her mouth and pressed his index finger to his lips before he turned his head to watch the corridor. The clicking was growing louder and louder, but Minho sat still, his gaze not once returning to meet hers and his hand was still securely placed over her mouth. _Is it a Griever? _Gen thought to herself, _I thought it was only at night that they came. _Minho took a small breath, as he removed his hand from her mouth and stood, grabbing a hold of her arm as he did so and pulling her to her feet. Gen was silent, watching Minho who moved his hand down to intertwine his fingers with hers,

"When I say run. Run." He instructed her, giving her hand a small squeeze as the clicking seemed to stop. The sight before Gen was enough to make her want to scream, but when her lips parted, no sound emerged. Instead, she was simply frozen in place staring at the most hideous creature she had ever seen. The Griever was a bulbous, dark creature, with many appendages such as spikes, shears, and rods that Gen imagined to be what it used to sting Gladers. "Run." Turning on her heel, Minho and Gen sprinted as fast as they could in the opposite direction of the Griever, still hand in hand; the whirring and clicking sound of the Griever could be heard behind them, causing a mixture of fear and adrenaline to pump through Gen's entire body as she continued to run. "Keep running!" Minho instructed her, not once letting go of her hand. As they continued to run back through the Maze, Gen noticed the clicking and whirring stopped and looking behind them, she found nothing at all, just the menacingly dark maze. Minho stopped, panting slightly as his eyes scanned the area before he pulled Gen towards him and placed his hands either side of her face,

"Are you okay?" He asked, his eyes searching for any wounds, "Did it get ya?"

"No. I'm fine." She replied, still trying to process the Griever in her mind. Minho breathed a sigh of relief and did something Gen didn't expect. Leaning forward, Minho pressed his lips against her forehead, the warmness of his lips sending a rush through Gen's body. When he pulled back, she held her breath, waiting for him to return back to his original position before she allowed herself to exhale, "Why did you do that?" She asked. Minho quickly let her go and turned his back on her,

"Come on. We have more ground to cover before the day ends." He said and without another word, he sprinted off down the corridors, giving Gen no other choice but to follow.


	29. Decisions

The thrill of the maze was nothing compared to the rush Gen felt as she ran through the closing gates and back into the Glade, falling into a panting heap beside Minho. Around her, she listened to the cheers of the boys, all moving forward to pat her and Minho on the back. She had survived a day in the life of a Runner and in some ways, she felt as though she and Minho connected.

"Good on ya!" Jeff grinned as he knelt down beside her and passed Gen a cup of water that she gulped down before returning a sheepish smile, remembering that it was polite to speak rather than simply take,

"Thanks." She smiled softly, watching Jeff who moved back into the cheering crowd. Looking around, she noticed that Alby and Newt weren't among them. Ironically enough, as the thought about where they would be entered her mind, the boys fell silent and all turned to look to Alby and Newt who moved towards Genevieve and Minho wearing serious expressions that made them seem far more intimidating than they were, "Hey." She greeted with a slight smirk, nodding her head at them. As they drew closer, their expression didn't change once. Exchanging looks with Minho, Gen raised her eyebrow at him, surely he would ave told Alby and Newt that she was running the Maze. He had told her he did anyway. However, looking at him, he seemed to be just as confused as she was,

"How did you find the Maze?" Alby asked as he moved forward to take Jeff's place in front of her. Pausing, Gen's eyes flickered to Newt who was silent, his arms crossed before she forced herself to stand, her legs felt as though they were about to give out at any given moment,

"Fine." She answered, looking back to Minho who also stood. There was a slight awkwardness between them- only slight. Although, it could have just been Gen who felt awkward. Throughout the rest of her journey through the maze, Minho refused to tell her why he kissed her on the forehead. It was something innocent, Gen was sure, but for some reason it seemed to bug her. Catching her eye, Minho winked,

"Natural runner. Kept up pretty well, didn't ya, girly?" He smirked, Gen flashed him a quick smile before she turned her eyes back to Alby who finally allowed himself to smile, instantly causing Gen to calm herself. If Alby was unimpressed she had a problem. If Newt was unimpressed, she also had a problem. However, at the present moment, she had only managed to win over Alby's favor, which was a foot in the door.

"It was interesting." She said, adding onto her original answer, "Bit too much stress for my liking."

"That's good to hear." Alby smirked, "Ain't it Newt?" Looking over his shoulder at Newt, Gen followed his gaze and found that Newt was actually _glaring _at Alby, whom was supposedly his best friend.

"Yeah." He replied shortly, "It's bloody great." Moving forward, Gen raised her eyebrow,

"You have something to say?" She muttered, "You knew I was running the Maze today. Why are you annoyed?" Silence had fallen over the crowd who watched eagerly. Feeling a pair of hands on her shoulders, Gen flinched and snapped her head around to find that the hands belonged to Minho,

"Just slim it, Newt. She did the right thing." He said. Gen couldn't help but sigh, as Newt continued to glare at them,

"If Alby won't say it then I bloody will then." he muttered, "You have to choose now between a Runner and a Med-Jack." He said, there was fear in his tone and it was then that Gen understood his anger; Newt had been a Runner and tried to commit suicide- that was his biggest secret, one that he shared with her. Gen running the maze seemed like a slap in the face after the trust Newt had put in her and she had actually started to feel guilty. Every part of her wanted to be a runner- wanted to run the maze every day with Minho. But she owed it to Newt, the sweet boy who took care of her, who held her hand every time she had a nightmare not to.

"I want to be a Med-Jack." She answered, smiling at Newt who remained serious, yet it was clear that he was pleased with her answer, "Runner is _way _too much work for me." Around her, she heard a series of whispers and shocked gasps from the crowd that after receiving a glare from Alby once again fell silent,

"Are you sure about this, Gen?" Alby asked.

"I'm sorry, what part of my answer suggested that I wasn't serious?" She mocked. Alby rolled his eyes,

"Alright, alright." He nodded, "No need to turn into Minho 2.0" Behind her, Gen heard Minho laugh as he moved beside her and wrapped his arm around her shoulders,

"I think I like the sound of that." He smirked, looking down at Gen who rolled her eyes,

"I don't" She replied elbowing him in the stomach before moving away from him. This time Alby laughed,

"Alright, shows over boys." He announced to the group who all remembered to breath as they awkwardly made their way back towards the Glade.

"You did well, girly." Minho winked as he walked past her, "You'll be the stand in from now on." Gen stared after him, there was something about him that she couldn't quite understand. He had a way of making her feel a both nervous and excited at the same time. Snapping back into reality, she found that Newt was standing across from her, arms still crossed over her chest; the others had all pretty much made it back towards the Glade which as a result left Gen and Newt alone in front of the closed Maze,

"Why did you choose the Med-Jack?" Newt asked, uncrossing his arms and moving towards her,

"Kicks?" She replied with a shrug and after earning herself a glare from the blonde, she sighed, "I did it for you."

"For me?" He questioned, his expression softening, "You did it for me?"

"Yeah." She replied, looking down at her feet, "I didn't wanna disappoint you. Or leave you alone for that matter." Looking back up, she tried to lock eyes with Newt who avoided her gaze, looking everywhere but her, searching for something, anything he could say,

"Well, that's bloody good. Last thing I need is a new room mate. I only just got used to you." He smirked. Gen returned a small smile and she shifted towards the Glade with Newt- she content with her decision to remain a Med-Jack.


	30. Games

Gen woke early the following morning after once again dreaming of Peter. He at least, despite being a figment of her imagination was thrilled when she informed him about her trial as a Runner and even told her to continue on with it. However, Gen knew that she didn't have the qualities needed to run the Maze _every_day. Allowing her feet to find the ground, Gen stood, her eyes flicking over to Newt who was still asleep. Shifting her gaze towards the doorway, she took a small breath as she took her first silent step towards the exit, her head snapping around to Newt who was still asleep. He was a light sleeper and even the slightest hint of a creaking floorboard or even her ankle cracking would probably wake him. Of course, she was over-exaggerating... or maybe she wasn't.

"What're you doing up?" Newt yawned as Gen froze, her ankle had cracked and as a result proved that Newt was a freak with freaky hearing.

"I'm going to go see Minho and Ben off." She replied honestly, straightening up and turning to face him. Newt smiled softly, rubbing his eyes back he allowed his head to fall back into the hammock,

"God... well, I can see you're bloody keen...Sure you didn't wanna be a Runner?" He asked. Gen, although Newt couldn't see it, shrugged her shoulders. The job of a Runner seemed to be more glorified than anything else. Actually, when she thought about it, the job was probably the least appealing other than a Slopper. It was dangerous and stressful and risky.

"And spend every second of the day putting up with Minho? I think not." She smirked. Newt sniggered softly before sitting up, his eyebrow raised as he watched her,

"That's bloody torture for anyone. Spending just half an hour makes me wanna punch him in the face." Newt replied, "Although, I do think it is just in his personality." Gen had to laugh at that. Minho wasn't _that _bad and there was no way that Newt was serious about his comment, but the more she thought about Minho and the possibility of spending more time with him by becoming a runner, she seemed to be filled with a mixture of both nervousness and excitement. "Well, if you're going to see them off, may as well tag along." New finally said, slipping off of the hammock and moving around the room in search of his shoes,

"Why?" Gen frowned as she watched him. Newt didn't reply, instead giving a sigh of relief when he located his shoes. "Newt? Hello?" Newt looked up at her with a cheeky smile,

"Why? Well... seeing as how you bloody woke me up, I may as well tag along." He said. Gen smiled, watching as he put his shoes on before he walked towards her, his scruffy bed hair seemed to actually suit him and in her opinion was actually a little cute.

"Alright..." Gen trailed off, looking up at him, "Lets go then, Newtie." She winked before turning on her heel and shifting towards the door, listening to Newt's heavy footsteps as he followed her out.

As the pair made their way to the Maze, she noticed Ben and Minho in the distance, their eyes watching the gates that were still closed. As they drew closer, Minho looked over his shoulder, a broad smile crossing his features as he turned to greet them,

"Hey, girly." He greeted, "Newt."

"Minho." Gen greeted with a smile while Newt gave him a tired nod of hello, "Ready to run?" She asked with a small smile as Minho drew closer.

"Ready as always, at least I don't have to keep an eye on you today." He smirked. Gen giggled,

"Keeping an eye on me? You should feel privileged to have been able to spend time with me." She retorted.

"Privileged?" Minho smirked, placing his hands on his hips, "In that case, consider me hurt that you chose not to be a runner."

"My apologies, Minho." She mocked, "The last thing I'd want would be to hurt your feelings, afterall, you need to concentrate in the maze. Wouldn't want you tripping and scaring that pretty face of yours."

"In that case, maybe I should get a good luck charm." He smirked, his eyes locked with hers. Gen held her breath, the 'good luck charm' was the term he used when Gen asked about the kiss on the forehead. There was a brief moment of silence before the gates made a loud scrapping sound. The gap slowly opening to reveal the maze. Looking over his shoulder, Minho gave Ben a short nod before he turned back to face Minho, "Guess I'll just have to get that good luck charm at a later date. Catch ya later, girly." Gen smiled softly as Minho turned on his heel and jogged into the Maze with Ben, leaving her to watch them before they disappeared around the corner.

"Well... that was bloody interesting." Newt grumbled from behind her, spinning around, she raised her eyebrow at him,

"What do you mean, Newtie?" She smirked. Newt returned a small smile before his brow furrowed,

"You... _flirted _with Minho." He finally said, his eyes falling to the ground. Gen paused,

"No... no, I didn't." She replied softly, "I was just playing a game. That's all that is... a game." In all honesty, she didn't know what any of that was, just that it happened. Newt raised his head, looking to her with a small, fake smile to tell her he was fine,

"Pretty interesting game." He said with the same smile, "Who's winning do you think?" He asked,

"I... don't know." She replied and that time, it was her turn to look away from him, "Minho maybe?" Newt laughed,

"He's pretty good at the game." There was silence as Gen and Newt both stared at the ground, unable to make any kind of eye-contact before Gen spoke once last time,

"We should go. It's early and Frypan is making breakfast." As both of their heads rose, they made eye-contact and smiled politely at one another as if the conversation they had only just had never occurred.

"First in line sounds bloody good to me." Newt said. Gen gave a nod and shifting towards the Glade, she took a final breath and used every ounce of strength she had not to look over her shoulder at the Maze. Instead, she continued to walk, trying her best not to think about Minho, but no matter how she tried, she could not get the good luck charm out of her head.


	31. Lucky Charm

The day was slow and Gen for once had no work. Everyone seemed to be accident free, making Jeff, Gen and Clint's lives a lot easier. Actually, Gen had spent most of her day with Newt, who seemed to be rather curious about her 'game' with Minho, not that it bothered her, Newt more or less made a lot of jokes about it.

"We can call you guys... Ginho? Migen?" Newt sniggered, "Nope, I have it... Minhovieve" Shoving him lightly, Gen rolled her eyes,

"You're such a shuck!" She smirked. "Although Minhovieve does have a ring to it." She grinned up at Newt who laughed softly,

"True love, I'm bloody sure of it." He smiled. Gen looked away from him and towards her and Newt's room,

"In that case, we should have one of those names." Gen said. Newt paused, his brow furrowing in thought,

"Alright..." His voice trailed off as he tried to come up with an idea, "Gewt?" Gen laughed,

"Yeah, that's fantastic." She said sarcastically, pushing open the door and moving out of the sun and into the dark room, Newt close at her heels,

"Fine. How about bloody Genewt? Does that suit your fancy?" Looking over her shoulder at him, she smirked,

"Anything is better than Gewt." Opening his mouth to speak, he was cut off by a panting Ben who was leaning against the doorframe,

"Hey..." He panted, his face was red and he was covered in sweat. Gen and Newt both frowned at him, it was still far too early for he and Minho to return,

"What are you doing back?" Newt asked. Ben held his index finger up, signalling for them to give him a moment before he spoke once more,

"Minho found something. A letter or something." He said. Newt's brow furrowed as he and Gen exchanged looks,

"What did it say?" Newt asked. Ben shrugged,

"Something about a Phoenix, Glue and a Leader." He replied, "It was addressed to a someone called the Phoenix." Gen held her breath as the name circled through her mind. That was impossible. No one knew that name. No one. It was a name that came to her in her dreams, something her subconscious created. Looking over his shoulder at her, Newt took a small breath,

"Alright, I'm on my way. You okay staying here?" He asked. Gen gave a short nod with a small smile and watched as Newt and Ben took their leave heading towards where Gen assumed to be Alby's hut. Moving further back into the room, Gen concentrated on breathing in and out. Peter was the only one that called her the Phoenix and he wasn't even real... or was he?

"Knock knock." Snapping her head up, Gen locked eyes with Minho who was red faced and panting just as Ben was.

"Aren't you supposed to be with Alby?" She asked with a suspicious tone of voice, "Ben said you found a letter." Minho shrugged his shoulders, moving into the room with a slight smirk,

"Not my scene. That's why I told Alby to get Newt. He's _so _much better with those things." He said as he stepped closer to her. Gen watched him, she wanted to ask so many questions about the letter, but she knew it was all useless. Minho wouldn't tell her anything that she didn't need to know. "On a happier note. Thought I'd let ya know how great it is having Ben back." Gen shoved him playfully,

"Oh please. I am so much better than Ben." She laughed. Minho grinned at her,

"No way." He smirked. Gen held her breath as she watched him move closer to her and stop only a few inches from her, "You're a distracting shuck." He lifted his hand to touch her face but Gen quickly turned away from him, pretending to look at something in her hammock before she turned back to him,

"Distracting? Me?" She asked mockingly, Minho watched her with a slight confusion in his eye before he took a small breath,

"Yeah. I have to continuously make sure you haven't passed out." He said. Gen watched him before she moved back towards him with a nervousness that she didn't understand.

"I think I would make a great Runner. I just need more practise." She defended herself.

"Maybe you should practise then." Minho replied with the obvious answer, "Come run the Maze with me again." He whispered, leaning forward so his face was only a few centimetres from hers, Gen shook her head,

"No." Pulling back, Minho gave her a sarcastic pout that made her laugh, "I can't. It's too late. I can't be a Runner." She said simply, "I also happen to enjoy being a Med-Jack." Moving around him, Gen locked her eyes onto the door. She had to find out what was in the letter. As she continued to moved towards the door, Minho quickly spun on his heel and grabbed her arm,

"Hey!" Gen snapped, looking around at him. In a swift movement, Minho tugged on her arm and pulled her against him, placing his hands on her waist, "What are you doing?" Gen asked, raising her eyebrow at Minho who shrugged his shoulders,

"Nothing." He answered, shifting his hands back to his side, but Gen was still frozen, her eyes locked onto Minho's,

"Then why'd ya grab my arm, shuck?" Minho paused, his hands moving up to cup her face,

"I was just... thinking about that lucky charm of mine." Moving forward, his lips brushed against hers, "Remember?" Gen was frozen, shifting her up to her neck,

"I do." She replied, pulling on the string that was tied around her neck. Pulling back, Minho frowned as she pulled his coin from around her neck and showed him, "This is yours." Stepping back, Minho moved his hand up to the coin, flipping it over,

"Where'd you find this?" He asked seriously, his stare not leaving the coin as he spoke.

"Near the wall. I was waiting to give it back to you." Looking over his shoulder, Minho listened to the distinct sound of Newt's voice in the distance, he was close.

"You can keep it." He said with a slight frown on his face, his gaze moving to meet hers, "You can keep it safe for me." Nodding, Gen stepped back from him and tucked it under her shirt, "Well, that's Newt. Should probably get going." He said with a broad smile, "See ya around, girly." Moving from the room, Gen could not help but feel empty as he left and she seemed to miss him dearly the moment he left the room.

**A/N: Just wanna say thank you for all the support and reviews! I really appreciate it and I love reviews so thanks! Also, just because I love you guys, I took the liberty of creating ship names! And by me I mean Newt did. :P Hopefully you guys like them :P Had fun writing this chapter and thanks again for everything! **


	32. Greenie

Newt returned a few moments after Minho left, popping his head around the door, he gestured for her to come outside.

"Come on. Can't you hear that?" He frowned. Gen paused- now that she thought about, she could hear something; an alarm of some sorts. Rushing outside, she looked around and found that the Gladers had all gathered themselves around the Box,

"A new Glader?" She asked, looking to Newt who gave a small nod,

"Yep. Congratulations Gen, you're no longer the Greenie." He smirked, jogging towards the Box. Gen followed him at a distance, her eyes locked onto the crowd. She was actually rather excited about having a new Greenie. Maybe it would even be a girl? Catching up to the group, Gen stood back, watching as Newt pushed his way through and stood next to Alby and Gally, both of which had their eyes locked onto the Box. Shifting forward, Gen stood on the tips of her toes, trying to look at what was it was that was happening,

"Bit short, Gen?" Looking to her side, she set her eyes onto Minho who was standing beside her, looking over the heads of the other Glader,

"Shut it, shuck." She spat back at him, crossing her arms as Minho sniggered,

"You excited to finally not be a Greenie?" He asked. Gen shrugged,

"I just feel sorry for the shuck you gets stuck with Gally. It's his turn to take the Greenie isn't it?" She asked, looking to Gally who was waiting with his hands on his hips. The box finally stopped, signalling it had reached its destination and an air of excitement seemed to waft through the crowd,

"Maybe it's another girl." One boy whispered excitedly to another,

"Maybe." The other nodded, clearly not as enthusiastic as the other who turned to glance at Gen before back at the boy,

"If it is a girl. This one will be mine. It's not fair that Minho gets a girl and I don't." He pouted. Rolling her eyes, Gen looked to Minho who was smirking, but restrained herself from commenting on the conversation. Alby moved forward as the doors to the box opened, revealing the new Greenie that had been thrown into the Glade,

"Is it a girl?" Someone from the crowd called earning a glare from Alby,

"No. Now slim it!" He snapped looking back at whoever was in the box. Gally was the first to jump down, followed by Alby while Newt stood back and watched. Gen had numerous questions and wanted just as much as everyone else to find out who had been sent up in the box- she also wanted to read the letter Minho had found, but that would have to wait. Surely, if she asked Newt he would tell her- Newt seemed to tell her a lot of things. As Alby and Gally climbed out of the box, they both turned and held their hands out to help a boy from the box. As the boy stood to face the crowd, Gen analysed him, he was no more than thirteen, he was short and pudgy, with curly brown hair and brown eyes and if anything, looked as though he was about to burst into tears.

"Welcome to the Glade, Greenie." Alby said, watching the boy with caution. The boy swallowed, looking up at Gally and Alby who both towered over him,

"Thanks." He mumbled before he looked back to the disappointed crowd that watched him. The sad thing was the disappointment came because everyone knew he would be a Slopper for sure.

"Alright, Greenie. With me." Gally commanded, moving from the Box and towards the Homestead. The boy however was frozen, his upper lip quivering and his eyes locked to the ground. "Greenie!" Gally called with a clear annoyance in his tone.

"Bloody hell, Gally. Leave the poor boy alone!" Newt snapped, glaring at Gally who glared right back at him,

"It's _my _turn to take the stupid Greenie, Newt." He snapped. Gen watched the boy with pity as he flinched at Gally's words.

"Fine. I'll take him." Newt said with a slight, almost daring smirk. Gally watched him with a surprised expression,

"You took the last one. It's my turn." He replied. Newt shrugged his shoulders,

"I have no quarrels taking this one. You go back to bossing around the builders." Newt grinned, looking to the boy who gave him a small, yet unsure smile. Gally huffed before turning on his heel and storming away from the box, muttering under his breath as he went. Looking back to Alby, Newt gave him a nod,

"Hope you were okay with me doing that." He smirked. Alby gave a small smile, before he moved past him. As soon as Alby took his leave, the crowd seemed to shrink, all unimpressed that they didn't receive someone older, faster, fitter and female.

"What? You wanna introduce yourself?" Minho asked, tapping his foot impatiently as Gen watched the boy,

"Actually. Yeah." Gen nodded, grabbing Minho by the hand and pulling him towards Newt and the boy,

"Let me go." Minho hissed, pulling his hand away from her, "I don't wanna meet the kid. You go meet him, I'll wait here." He said stubbornly. Gen looked at him for only a second longer before she moved towards Newt and the boy,

"Hey." She greeted as she drew closer, causing the boy and Newt to look up at her,

"Hey." Newt smiled, his eye shifting back to Minho before it returned to her, "What's he doing?" Newt asked. Gen looked over her shoulder at Minho, who was looking at the trees before back to Newt,

"Honestly... I have no idea." Beside Newt, the boy gave a small chuckle, "Hi there." She smiled at him, "My name is Genevieve, but you can just call me Gen." The boy smiled up at her,

"Are you the only girl here?' He asked curiously,

"Yeah."

"Who's that?" He then asked, pointing to Minho,

"That's Minho." She replied. The boy nodded,

"Is he your boyfriend?"

"No!" Gen nearly yelled at the boy who flinched, "No, he is not. Definitely not."

"Oh, sorry." The boy mumbled, "I would tell you my name but..."

"You don't remember it." Newt finished for him, "Don't worry, it'll come back to you soon. Happens to all of us." Newt then flashed her a warm smile before he placed an arm around the boys shoulders, "I'll show you around." He told him before he and the newest Glader moved off towards the Homestead. Turning on her heel, Gen locked eyes with Minho who was still waiting for her,

"Having fun?" She called, causing him to shift his focus from the sky to her,

"Loads." He retorted, "Now, come on. I'm hungry." He whined.

"Why should I go with you?" She asked,

"Because, I'm hungry and you have my coin." He grinned. Gen was silent, she didn't understand what that had to do with anything, but she gave a soft nod,

"Alright. Let's go."


	33. Prankster

It took a day for the newest Greenie to remember his name- it took less than that for him to annoy everyone in the Glade. Chuck was probably the youngest Glader they had so far and he was also the local Prankster, causing most of the others to think of him as a nuisance. Gen had no quarrels with Chcuk, she and Newt were the only two Gladers he hadn't pranked- even Alby had been a victim of Chuck's humour. The most entertaining of the pranks would have had to be the one Chuck pulled on Minho and Gally- probably the two most likely to beat Chuck up if it weren't for the second Glader rule. Chuck, had actually taken their clothes whilst they were showering and hid them all around the Glade. Gally had only to threaten a few people to get his clothes back, poor Minho however had been searching for his clothes for almost two hours with no luck and unfortunately enlisted the help of Ben, Newt and Gen to locate them,

"I don't know where they are." Ben grumbled, crossing his arms as Minho pulled the blankets from Chuck's bed and tossed them aside. Minho was wearing nothing but a sheet Ben had provided for him, that was wrapped around his waist,

"Why don't you just go and _ask _Chuck?" Gen suggested, watching Minho from were she stood next to Newt who seemed incredibly bored,

"No use. The kid's a bloody good hider." Newt muttered, crossing his arms over his chest. Minho spun on his heel to face them, gripping at his sheet as he did so to ensure it didn't slip,

"Great. Just great. For now on, I'll just wear a sheet." He snapped, "Maybe it can be the latest fashion here in the Glade and everyone can do it!" Ben, Newt and Gen all rolled their eyes as they watched Minho. Despite the constant whining from Minho, the funniest part of Chuck's prank was that the clothes were more than likely hidden in plain sight,

"Why don't you wear other clothes?" Gen suggested. Minho stared at her,

"Because I want the clothes that fat shuck stole." He replied as if it was a well known fact that she should have known.

"Have you actually asked anyone if they've seen them? Gally didn't have this much bloody trouble." Newt remarked, turning on his heel and moving from the room, "They're not here, let's move on." He said, apparently taking leadership in the hunt for Minho's clothes. Ben sniggered, earning a foul look from Minho,

"You look ridiculous, Minho." Ben grinned, moving past Gen and following Newt out of the door,

"I'm gonna kill him." Minho snapped, looking Gen dead in the eye as he spoke. Gen sighed softly, it wasn't Chuck's fault. He was scared and lonely, which was understandable. Most people didn't have time for him and Newt, who had taken him on as his Greenie, was too busy doing his own stuff to entertain Chuck all the time.

"Well, maybe if you weren't mean to him, you wouldn't have this problem." Gen said, crossing her arms as Minho moved towards her with an unimpressed look.

Moving from the room, Minho chose not to give a response to her completely true statement and instead, moved into the bright light, sniggers and jokes sounding around him from the other Gladers. Gen followed him, at a small distance, her eyes locked onto Ben and Newt who were up ahead, moving towards the next destination and which was the Med-Jack building. Upon entering the building, Ben gave out a cry of triumph as he picked up Minho's shoes, which had been sitting on one of the lower shelves,

"Lookie here. See Minho, you're just not looking in the right places." He said, passing them to Minho who took them with a mumbled thanks as he pulled his socks out from inside each shoe and took a seat on the ground to put them on.

"Why would Chuck hide them here of all places?" Newt asked suspiciously. When it came to Chuck, all of his pranks were well thought out and generally were a way of him suggesting or saying something he wouldn't dare to say in front of individual. For example, Gally's clothes had all been hidden in the places he had said something nasty to Chuck- The box, Frypan's kitchen, Chuck's room...

"That's dumb. I have nothing to do with him in the Med-Jack hut. I haven't even spoken to him in the Med-Jack hut." Minho argued, "In fact, I haven't even _been _in the Med-Jack hut since he's shown up." Ben shrugged his shoulders,

"Obviously you've done something." He said, holding his hand out to help Minho up.

"How does it feel to be outsmarted by a thirteen year old?" Gen asked in a mocking tone, causing Ben to snigger once more and even Newt to smile in amusement,

"I haven't been outsmarted, girly." Minho snapped at her, narrowing his eyes,

"I have an idea." Ben chimed in, drawing everyone's attention to him,

"What is it, shank?" Newt asked, raising an eyebrow at Ben who seemed rather impressed with himself,

"Obviously, Minho's a piece of klunk that has been outsmarted by a thirteen year old chubby shank." Ben said shrugging his shoulders while everyone stared at him with confused expressions,

"What does that have to do with anything?" Newt asked. Ben grinned at them,

"That's my idea on Minho being outsmarted." There was silence as each of them stared at Ben, trying to understand and find humour in his poor joke. Behind her, Gen could almost hear the hatred Minho bore for Ben as he glared at him,

"Next place." He snapped, his eyes locked solely onto Ben who now wore an uneasy expression, clearly not receiving the reaction he was aiming for. Once again the four of them departed heading this time for the meeting room. It was an unlikely place, but then again, the Med-Jack hut had also been an unlikely place. Newt once again invoked his status as the leader of the search party and entered first, followed by Ben, then Gen, who peered around the door,

"Come on, girly." Minho snapped, causing Gen to jump, and turn on her heel to face Minho who was only a few inches away from her, his eyes locking with hers.

"What makes you think they're in here?" Gen asked, "Chuck can't even get in here." Minho said nothing, instead taking a step closer to her,

"Never know." He murmured, his hand moving upward to brush a lock of her hair behind her ear, all the while Gen held her breath.

"You shanks bloody comin or what?" Newt called from inside. Gen paused, a small smile spreading on her lips as she watched Minho for a small while longer before she turned her back on him and stepped into the building. Looking around, she noticed that Ben and Newt were both looking around that long table that had thirteen chairs around it and one up the front with a series of chains wrapped around the arms of the chair for what Gen imagined to be for the shuck in trouble.

"I don't think there's anything here." Ben said with a slight frown,

"Bloody hell. We've been looking for hours and have found nothin'." Newt snapped, pushing in on the chairs he had been looking under. Gen would have replied if it weren't for the letter that was sitting on the end of the table addressed as clear as day to 'The Phoenix'. She wanted that letter and there it was in front of her. Moving forward, she focused only on the letter whilst the others searched for Minho's clothes. It would have been stupid of her to try and steal it, especially with Newt around. Instead, Gen quickly unfolded the page and laid it down flat, her eyes reading the same words over and over:

Dearest Phoenix,

Your choice must be made soon. The Leader or The Glue. You cannot have both. Will be seeing you soon. Very soon.

Folding the letter once more, Gen frowned; the letter made no sense the leader or the glue? What did that even mean?

"Nothing here." Minho finally gave in, heading for the door once more. Gen gave no reply and simply followed him out, along with Ben and Newt.

Eventually, Minho located his clothes, or well, his team did. Chuck also proved to be far, far more intelligent than Minho, which was something no one would let him live down. All in all, the clothes had been located inside the Slammer, Minho's room, Gen and Newt's room and then in the Deadheads. Why they hadn't searched there earlier was a mystery in itself as was Chuck's reasoning for hiding them in those particular places. The only thing that Gen couldn't get out of her mind was the letter and its purpose. It had to be addressed to her. It just had to be. But by who?

**A/N: Sorry if this seems a little rushed! I did enjoy writing it however. Chuck is fun XD Anyway, any thoughts on the letter? Or anything in particular? **


	34. Keeper of the Med-Jacks

Crossing over to a large cabinet, Gen picked up a numbing cream before she stepped over to Clint, her eyes locked onto the rather nasty gash just above his eyebrow, courtesy of Gally the King of the Shucks. The day had gone rather quickly as Newt had been busy for the entire day with Alby, something about gathering the Keepers for a council meeting and Minho was gone for the day due to having to run the Maze. Despite their absence, it wasn't as if she didn't have other friends but Newt meant the world to her and Minho was... he was Minho, he just... kinda snuck up on her. One of her other newly formed friends was actually the devil who hid Minho's clothes: Chuck. Although not one of Minho's favourite people, Chuck was funny and a genuinely sweet kid... no matter how annoying he could be.

"What's that for?" Chuck asked, peering over Gen's shoulder at the cream in her hand,

"Numbing cream." She answered in more of a mumble, her brow furrowing as she removed the lid and dipped her index finger into it before she carefully applied it to the cut. Gally had once again been responsible for another accident- this time attacking Clint... accidentally... with a hammer.

"This hurt?" Gen asked as she continued to apply the cream, looking to Clint who shook his head. He seemed awfully quiet and looked tired and run down, something Gen wasn't used to seeing. Clint was usually a pleasant and content person to be around, seeing him as anything other than that was just plain weird. It would be like seeing a frightened and emotional Minho or a hot-tempered and reckless Newt. Picking up the needle, she then began to stitch his gash closed, being careful to try and make the stitches and potential scar neat and tidy looking. All the while, Clint didn't so much as flinch- of course, that had a lot to do with the numbing cream she had applied,

"That's... disgusting." Chuck said, deciding that his opinion reasonable and well justified. Sneaking around, too look over Gen's shoulder, he watched as she stitched his head with a look of absolute disgust on his face,

"Thank you, Chuck." Clint muttered, not shifting his gaze once to meet his. Instead, he simply stared off into the distance with a blank, unresponsive expression on his face. Chuck was about to open his mouth to speak once more but after receiving a foul look from Gen, he quickly closed it again.

"Chuck, can you excuse us for a minute?" Gen asked, looking to Chuck, who's jaw dropped,

"Why?" He whined,

"Because I asked nicely and we're friends." Gen smiled dramatically, looking over her shoulder at Chuck, who placed his hands on his hips, eyeing her with suspicion,

"If we're friends. Why does your boyfriend hate me so much?" Chuck asked. Gen sighed and rolled her eyes,

"We've been through this. Minho is _not _my boyfriend and he doesn't hate you."

"He pushed me into a wall, Gen." Chuck replied calmly.

"I never said you two were besties." Gen replied,

"Then, if we're friends, shouldn't you do something about Minho being a... klunk?" The word sound unnatural when Chuck said it and Gen had to hold back her laughter as she watched him,

"I'll have a chat with Minho when he gets back. Happy?" Chuck gave a satisfied nod, "Now out. I wanna talk to Clint. _Alone._" She said putting as much emphasis on the word 'alone' as possible. Moving towards the door, Chuck grumbled under his breath before turning back to her for one final comment,

"I'm telling Minho you're cheating on him!" and before she even had the chance to reply, he disappeared from the room. Turning back to Clint, who rose from the chair, her expression softened,

"What's wrong?" She asked, watching as he turned his back on her to examine one of the creams that he then took from the shelf and spun on his heel to show her,

"Can you tell me what this does?" He asked. Gen frowned slightly, but gave a short nod,

"It fight extreme infections and kick starts the immune system. Useful when Gladers have the flu or a cold." She replied, placing her hands on her hips. Clint gave a steady nod and pulled another cream from the shelf at random and holding it out to show her,

"And this one?" Gen once again paused. Perhaps he was testing her?

"For insect bites." She replied confidently and as Clint flashed her a small smile, she gave out a sigh of relief,

"You did well, Gen." He grinned, beaming at her with pride as if he was a proud parent. Not that she remembered who her parents were. "Jeff couldn't even tell me that." He said, "I think you're ready." Gen frowned slightly at his excitement,

"Ready for what?" Gen asked, her confusion level rising by the second. Clint stepped towards her and placed his hands on each shoulder, further enforcing the parent persona,

"To take my place as Keeper of the Med-Jack's." He spoke slowly and calmly as to be sure that she heard and understood every word he spoke. Gen took a small breath as Clint leaned back, removing his hands from her shoulders,

"Are you insane? Me? As the Keeper of the Med-Jacks?!" She exclaimed, "I've only been here for a month, I can't be the Keeper. What about Jeff?"

"Jeff doesn't know _half _as much as you do." Clint replied, "He also helps out in the Kitchen with Frypan. I already spoke to Alby and he agrees." He said, his gaze fixated onto a speechless Gen, "I've been Keeper for over two years now. Bout time someone took the job off my hands." He smirked, causing Gen to force a smile. "Plus, if Minho and Gally can do it. You can." That time, Gen laughed and meant it. Surely the job couldn't be too difficult if Minho and Gally were Keepers.

"But why are you giving it up? You're good at it." Clint shrugged his shoulders, moving his hand up to touch his cut,

"Just... tired of it I guess." He answered, "There's going to be a council meeting after the Runner's come back where you'll officially become a Keeper." Gen was still taken aback and unsure about the entire situation. But she guessed Clint had his reasons and that explained why Newt had been so busy the entire day. Moving back and away from Clint, she took a seat as soon as Minho was back she'd be Keeper of the Med-Jacks.


	35. Council Meetings

Gen was still and silent as she sat in the chair that overlooked the rest of the Keepers that eyed her. She was nervous, probably the most nervous she had ever felt as a Glader. Everyone stared at her, yet no one spoke- the most irritating part of her 'initiation'. Keeping her head locked onto the table, she tried to run over what she was going to say after Alby announced her as Keeper of the Med-Jack's, but everything she thought of seemed cliché and stupid. She also tried to avoid eye-contact with Minho, who seemed to want to make her laugh by raising his eyebrows at her and giving her weird facial expressions. Yet not one person spoke. It was just an awkward silence- awkward for her that was and the longer she was forced to sit within the silence, the more she wanted to get and leave. What was worse was that she never _wanted _to be the Keeper, it was just given to her because she could answer a couple of measly questions about the creams they had. But, Newt had gone to so much work to make sure that everyone attended, so the least she could do to repay him would be to shut up and deal with it. As Alby stepped into the room, drawing everyone's gaze as he did so, Gen felt a sigh of relief wash over her, finally the silence would end. Or perhaps she had gone deaf?

"Welcome everyone." Alby announced, taking a seat at the head of the table and proving that Gen was in fact, not deaf, "You all know why you're here." He then muttered, the formality of the event flying out the window.

"Then can we just hurry up and make her the shucking keeper so I can leave?" Gally snapped, his arms crossed and his feet resting on top of the table, as were Minho's.

"You have nothing to say about it?" Alby questioned. Turning her gaze to Gally, she watched him. He had a reputation of frequently disagreeing with everyone else with the council when a decision was to be made.

"Nope." He replied shortly, "Better than Clint." Gen wasn't sure whether he was complimenting her or simply insulting Clint, so instead, she stayed quiet, trying to keep a neutral expression as Gally turned his eyes to meet hers,

"Maybe now you'll get some power." He smirked,

"I hear that's what happens when you're a Keeper." Minho retorted on her behalf, shooting him a foul look. A sly smile crept onto Gally's face as if he and Minho knew something the others didn't,

"What's wrong? Scared I'd tell her your little secret?" He mocked,

"Scared? Puh-lease." Minho scoffed, "Tell her if ya want. See what happens." His tone was threatening and a similar smile to Gally's crept onto his face as he spoke,

"Alright. That's bloody enough. You two can have this argument later. Got it?" Newt interrupted, making Gen thankful he was around. "Does any shank here have something to say about Gen taking over Clint's position?" The room burst into whispers that mostly consisted of, 'Nah' or 'It was Clint's choice',

"Alright, slim it, shucks!" Alby cried, the room falling into silence once more, "Well, Gen. Guess that settles things. You're officially the Keeper of the Med-Jacks. All the responsibilities regarding medical attention have been shifted from Clint to you. Clint and Jeff will also listen to your every word."

"You also get to throw shucks into the Slammer." Minho announced,

"Shut it, Minho." Zart, the Keeper of the Track-Hoes snapped, slamming his palms against the table and causing everyone to jump, "For once in your life, would you just try and not have to have the last shucking word?" Beside him, Frypan sighed,

"Zart's gotta point, Minho... no offence." He added, sitting back in his seat. Minho looked around the room,

"What is this? Pick on Minho day?" He asked, completely proving Zart's point that he has to have the last word. Which wasn't exactly a lie.

"Alright. That's it. Everyone quiet!" Alby cried once more, sinking down into his chair further and letting out a sigh. Something told Gen that the arguments were something that happened quite a bit,

"If I'm the Keeper now. Where do I sit?" Gen decided to ask, breaking the silence. Alby looked at her and then towards the only empty chair besides Minho,

"I give you permission to trade, if you need." He said, nodding towards the chair. Minho rolled his eyes, clearly unimpressed with the anti-Minho behaviour.

"As a Keeper, I must also inform you that you must attend all meetings and you will also be spending a night in the Slammer if you show up late." Alby informed her. His words however, sounded more rehearsed than anything else, making his words seem less intimidating. After Gen nodded, Gally quickly stood, followed by Zart and a few of the other Keepers,

"That it?" Gally asked Alby who gave a nod, signalling that they could all leave, which, they did. Minho was the last to go, lazily getting to his feet before he turned to Alby,

"Doesn't the Keeper get her own room then?" He asked with a mocking smile, his eyes flicking to Newt before back to Alby. Alby was about to open his mouth to answer Minho's question before Newt cleared his throat,

"Firstly, I'd like to point out that's none of your bloody business. But, if you must know. Alby and I have decided things would be easier if Gen and I continued to share a buggin' room." He made the idea about them sharing a room sound completely horrid, but Gen knew that was the only way to shut Minho up. Minho, who didn't really believe Newt, smirked and gave him a sarcastic nod of his head before he stepped over to Gen and placed a hand on her shoulder,

"Nice work, girly. From Greenie to Keeper. Not bad." Gen flashed him a warm smile to which he returned a wink before he exited the building, leaving just her, Alby and Newt,

"Thanks for making me Keeper." She smiled, sounding just as stupid as she did when she recited it in her head. Alby gave a nod, as did Newt before they exchanged looks,

"You're welcome." Alby replied, "You can go, Gen. Newt and I have a few things to discuss." He informed her. Gen gave a soft nod and slowly rose from the chair,

"I'll see you later, Gen." Newt smiled warmly at her, Gen smiled back at him before she turned on her heel and strode out of the council room.


	36. Farewell Greenie, Hello Keeper

As Gen exited the Council room, she was surprised to find herself face to face with Gally, who was leaning with his back against the wall of the Med-Jack building, a sly smirk on his face that seemed to become more cunning and suspicious as she drew closer to him,

"Hey." She greeted shortly, stopping only a metre of the Keeper of the Builders who pushed himself from the wall and moved towards her, clearing half a metre between them,

"Hey." He replied shortly, "No Newt?" He mocked, tiliting his head as he spoke to her like she was some kind of puppy,

"No. He's got stuff to do." She frowned. As she took a step forward in an attempt to move around him, Gally darted back in front of her, blocking her path,

"Too bad. Anyway, heard you two were sharing a room still." He stated, clearing wanting more information on what was going on between them. Gen swallowed, she had spoken to Newt before the meeting about the matter and the last thing she needed was Gally finding it was _she _who wanted to continue to share a room with the blonde. Knowing Gally he'd find some way to use that against her. She could not help but feel like she was somewhat dependant on Newt; he was her first friend and the one person she trusted more than anything.

"It was a mutual agreement. Easier to clean up." She retorted, flashing him a fake smile.

"Or maybe poor little Newtie just didn't want you out of his sight."

"That's just a stupid assumption you've made based on nothing. So, I'll just let that slide." She said slowly as to be sure he heard her _every _word. "Newt is my friend. Besides, who told you we were continuing to share a room?" She asked, although she already knew the answer,

"Minho."

"Of course he did." Gen mused, her eyes flicking down to her feet. She had to change the subject and he had to change it as quickly as possible. "I thought you and Minho were arguing." She said suspiciously. She actually didn't care whether they were or not, but it seemed like Gally was gullible enough to believe she brought it up out of annoyance rather than a subject change,

"Don't worry, Minho's a big boy, he doesn't need a _girl _to protect him." He mocked, "Better get used to that in meetings, Gen. Happens every time we have a gathering." He spoke as if it was entirely Minho's fault. Which was something that she could slightly believe; Minho _was _the type to have the last word and everyone knew that. He was also a rather outspoken and sarcastic guy which would explain why Zart was quick to shut him up during the gathering.

"What's this? Having a bloody social gathering?" Newt's voice rang in his ears followed by a small 'humph' from Alby. Gen looked over at Newt and Alby who moved towards them, seemingly pleasant looks on their faces,

"Clingy boy himself." Gally smirked, holding his arms out in front of him as if he was introducing him to a crowd of hundreds,

"Clingy boy?" Newt frowned, "Come up with a new nickname for me, Gen?" He asked sarcastically, his eyes flicking to Gen who quickly shook her head, "Well then… I gotta admit I'm surprised you came up with something like that. Good thinkin' Gally. I'll remember that one." There was a slight annoyance in his tone of voice as he spoke, yet Newt was able to mask it using his wit and light-hearted nature. Gally grumbled something that was completely inaudible and didn't even sound like it was English or Glader slang, before he crossed his arms and decided to give one last shot at being witty,

"So, where are you and Gen going to go this time? Have a nice stroll through the Glade and talk about life and the names of your children?" This time, even Alby rolled his eyes at the sheer ignorance and stupidity that came when talking to Gally.

"Yes, Gally. We've decided on Gally for our first daughter- seeing as how the name is rather girlish."

"Alby Jr. for the first boy." Alby chimes in, shocking Gen to the core. She had never known Newt or Alby to act that way before. Huffing, Gally stormed off, muttering insults and remarks about his name being manly before he was gone altogether.

"What's put you in such a good mood?" She asked, her gaze shifting between the pair. Alby shrugged,

"New Keeper. A Gathering that didn't end in arguing." Alby said with a nonchalant shrug of his shoulders,

"Plus, don't have to bloody run after you anymore." Newt smirked, crossing his arms, "From this day forward. You're not my Greenie anymore and Gally's still stuck with Chuck so that makes my life bloodyeasy." Gen gave a nod,

"Ever had a Greenie become a Keeper before?" She asked. Newt grinned, uncrossing his arms and moving towards her,

"Nope. You're the first. Puts me in the good books." He informed her. Gen stared at him, he seemed much more… Gen couldn't describe it. Perhaps, he was only serious and (not that she'd tell him) annoying because of her? Because she was _his _Greenie and her actions affected him as much as they affected her. Now that Chuck had arrived, Gen was no longer the Greenie and thus, no longer Newt's responsibility. Grinning broadly, Gen clapped a hand onto Newt's shoulder,

"Congratulations on doing something right in your shuck life." Newt grinned back at her,

"Thanks. Catch ya around." He smirked, before he turned on his heel and strode off, picking up a conversation with Alby almost immediately. Watching him go, Gen felt a mixture of emotions that seemed to be both strange and contradictory to each other; she was glad that Newt didn't have to stress about her breaking rules anymore, but despite that as Gen watched him walk away, she suddenly missed him terribly, as if everything they had (If it even existed) had meant nothing at all to him and that he was simply doing his job to ensure she didn't break the rules.

**A/N: Hopefully this fixes the clinginess issue with Newt. Sorry bout that folks! This is probably a really bad explanation of it and such. But, hopefully this will help. Again, I am _so _sorry. :/ **


	37. Night Visits

There was a stillness in the cold air that made Gen feel somewhat isolated. Newt was different, for the better- he no longer followed her around everywhere or questioned her every action; he was kind, funny and even a little charming. At first, Gen had to admit she missed him terribly and in a way, she still did. But Newt had a lot to focus on, he didn't have the time to stress, so his change was a good one. As for where Gen had decided to 'isolate' herself, she had found herself in her and Newt's room, snuggled up in her hammock; for some reason, she wanted nothing more than to visit Peter inside the shack. Peter knew everything about her and she trusted him with everything... of course, Gen knew he wasn't real, just a dream. But, there was something about him, about the way he spoke, the way he stood that made her feel as though he wasn't just a dream. That he was... no, that was crazy talk. There was no way the Creators could access their minds through dreams. That was impossible. But, then again, Grievers seemed like things made from impossibility, why should there be a reason for the Creators _not _to be able to access her mind through dreams. Hearing a loud thud on the door, Gen quickly sat up, snapping back into reality as her eyes stared at the door in front of her. Another thud sounded before it swung open and a shadowed figure... staggered into the room? Squinting, Gen tried to adjust her eyes to the light. Newt had a limp, yes. But he had _never _walked like that. The only person she had known to walk like that was Gally when he was drunk and he seemed to hate her guts ten times more that he usually did when he was like that. So the possibility of the figure being him was slim to none; unless he had come to kill her.

"Hey girly." Letting out a sigh, Gen blinked a few more times as Minho's features came into view,

"Hey, Minho. What are you doing here?" She asked in between a yawn before she slipped off of the hammock and stepped towards him, an unfamiliar smell wafting from his clothes and breath. Scrunching up her nose, she then realized the scent was Gally's liquor, one of the strong bottles for sure. Leaning forward, Minho grinned broadly, almost mockingly at her

"You think I've had too much to drink, Gen?" He asked suspiciously, placing his hands on his hips. Gen raised her eyebrow,

"Yes. You stink of Gally's drinks." She snapped back at him. She had not meant to have been so harsh with him, but it seemed the only way to get through to Minho. Period. Taking a breath, he moved closer towards her, the staggering she had witnessed beforehand seemingly vanishing into thin air,

"I can hold my liquor." He told her in a small voice. The way Minho spoke, Gen could have sworn that he was as sober as he was, "It was just easier for me to sneak away from Ben." He told her, clearing the confusion from Gen's mind as she gave a nod of understanding,

"You were very convincing." She smirked, turning on her heel and moving back to her hammock, "What can I do for you, Minho?" She asked as she climbed back into the hammock and placed her hands behind her head, watching him with a small smile,

"You and Newt seem... different." He said, "What's up with that?" Gen frowned at him,

"He's no longer responsible for me. Guess, he's just enjoying the free life." Gen laughed. Minho however continued to wear the same neutral expression,

"Newt doesn't enjoy anything... and for the record the dude's not even _that _funny." He said, smirking slightly as he spoke, "But yeah, you guys just seemed a little weird. Newt isn't usually the dramatic staring at a distance type." Sitting up, Gen raised her eyebrows,

"What are you talking about?" She asked. Minho sniggered, moving closer towards her, the foul smell filling her nostrils once more. Anyone else and she would have told them to shower, but it was Minho and for some reason, he could do no wrong in her eyes,

"I heard a rumour that Chuck caught him staring at you from one of the watch towers." He said smugly. Gen rolled her eyes,

"You do realize Chuck only tells you those things because he thinks Newt is getting 'in between' us." She said. Minho tilted his head,

"Define us." He slurred slightly, further proving that Minho _had _had a lot to drink and was somewhat drunk despite his argument that he could 'hold his liquor'.

"As in you and I as a couple." Gen answered with a slight frown. She had thought she had made that much obvious. Pulling a flask she didn't notice from where it was strapped against his hip, he took a long swig of what she assumed to be the liquor before he wiped his mouth and turned his gaze back to her.

"No, I knew that was Chuck's definition. I want _your _definition." He said as if she had said the most stupidest thing in the world and he was trying to give her time to correct her mistake. Gen paused, unsure of how to reply. Minho wasn't usually the type to ask such questions, but then again, it could have just been the liquor. He knew what they were; friends, fellow Gladers, fellow Keepers. Nothing more. They surely weren't enemies, just as they weren't... lovers. Seeing that Gen had no intention of answering his question, he cleared his throat, "Let me try again then, girly." He sighed, placing his hands on his hips and taking a deep breath, "If this was the end of the world and this was the last night before we were about to all die horrible, bloody deaths at the hands of Grievers. Would you be mine? Just till the end?" Gen paused,

"It's not the end of the world." She replied before she could even think. The reply caused Minho's brow to furrow and his gaze to drop; a slow, deafening silence filled the air as her own mind began to tick over. She had hoped Minho had more than enough to drink to cause him to not even remember their conversation the following morning before she spoke once more, "But yes."

**A/N: I stayed up specially to write this, sorry if it's bad! I am also sorry I haven't updated for a little bit, I've been studying :/ **


	38. The Spark

"Hello Peter." Crossing the wooden floorboards to meet him, Gen wrapped her arms around herself, causing the older man to tilt his head,

"Bit sour today, Gen?" He mocked, causing her to frown,

"Mmm, I was just thinking about something." She told him, half expecting him to already know what she was going to say,

"And what's that, darling?" Gen paused, her eyes locked onto him. He was wearing a white shirt and a long black trench coat and his back was against the wooden staircase that she had never been up for as long as they had been inside the shack. "Are you going to speak?" Peter insisted, a slight impatience in his tone of voice. Gen took a small breath before she moved closer to him,

"I read a letter... it said I had to choose between the Glue and the Leader." She said, Peter was silent as she continued to speak, "It was addressed to the Phoenix. That's what you call me." Pursing her lips, she crossed her arms over her chest, causing Peter to push himself from where he was leaning and move towards her with a smirk,

"And what would you be implying?" He asked, "I've helped you conquer your fears, when was the last time you had a nightmare?" He mocked. Gen smirked,

"Feels like I'm in one." Stepping back, Peter placed a hand over his chest and gasped dramatically,

"I'm hurt, Gen." Adjusting his jacket, his mocking tone changed to a serious one, "Now, answer me. What are you implying?" Shrugging her shoulders, she allowed a small smile to creep onto her lips, further infuriating the man before her.

"How about we talk about the Glue and the Leader. Who are they?" She asked in a demanding tone of voice. Peter raised his eyebrows at her,

"You're going to talk to _me _like that?" When Gen didn't give an answer he sighed heavily, "The Glue is Newt, the Leader is Minho." He answered. Gen frowned,

"But, Alby's the Leader." She argued. Peter tsked,

"For now." Shaking her head, Gen shrugged off his comment,

"Fine. What does that letter have to do with anything?"

"Nothing. You've already made your choice." He smirked. Gen frowned, crossing her arms over her chest and watching as Peter examined his hands,

"And what would that be?" She spat bitterly. Glancing up at her, a looked at her for only a second before he smirked and dropped his gaze back to his hands,

"The mighty and power Leader of course." He announced, "Rumour has it little ol' Newt's not too happy. He's been hanging around Alby and avoiding interactions with you. Poor kid." Moving forward, Gen shoved him with all her might, only to have him rock back on his heels and then grab both of her wrists, "No need for violence." He smirked, "Especially when we're on such good terms." Fighting his hold, she glared at him,

"Go to hell." She hated the way he spoke about Newt as if he was just a subject to be thrown away when the Creators had no further use for him. Pushing her back, Gen fell to the ground with a thud, looking up at Peter who towered over her,

"You have your mother's eyes." He mused, tilting his head before he knelt down in front of her, "Tell me that you love him." Scrambling back, Gen stared at him,

"Who?"

"Minho." He scoffed, "Who else would I be talking about?"

"I don't love Minho." She replied. Peter merely laughed,

"Right, seventeen year olds fall into infatuation, not love" He replied, "It's clear that you're not nearly as infatuated with Newt as you are with Minho." As Gen scrambled back further, Peter stood, stalking towards her with his fists clenched, "Damn it, Gen! Just say it! Just say it and it can all be over!" He cried at her,

"And what will be over!? What are you _talking _about!?" She screamed back it him, her back hitting the wall. Peter, realizing what he said took a breath and unclenched his fists,

"Wanna know the funny things about fires?" He asked, his tone suggesting that no matter what she said, he was going to tell her anyway. Gen voiced no reply, her eyes locked onto his; she had never seen the hurt in his eyes before, like looking at her brought him a great pain she would never understand,

"Tell me." She replied, using the wall to force herself up, "What's the funny thing about fires?" Peter paused,

"They all need a spark, love." Gen smirked,

"Now, what's the funny part?" Leaning towards her, Peter narrowed his eyes,

"I know for a fact that Minho's the spark that lit your fire, sweetheart." His tone came across as somewhat bitter and aggressive. Gen stared at him, she could have replied in hundreds of different ways, but she naturally chose the most devastating one,

"Who lit yours?" Peter was silent, his eyes fixated onto hers,

"I think it's about time we end this." His tone trailed off as he spoke. "You should wake up anyway." That was when the realization set in that their entire conversation was a dream and nothing more. Turning her back on him, she moved towards the door, something she had never done before,

"Genevieve. Where are you going?" Peter snapped. Gen didn't turn to look at him, but she could hear his heavy footsteps behind her, "Gen! Genevieve!" He called over and over before he spoke a name that seemed more real to her than her own name "Lexi!" Stopping dead in her tracks, she repeated the name over and over in her head, she knew it, she knew she did. She just couldn't remember. As Peter placed his hands on both her shoulder, he spun her around to face him, "Do not move towards that door again." He spoke with a serious tone of voice, Gen could feel his fingers digging into her arms,

"Are you real?" She finally forced herself to say, causing a smile to form on Peter's lips as he released her from his hold,

"Curiosity is a dangerous thing, darling." That was the last thing she heard before everything went black and she awoke in her hammock.


	39. Our Little Games

Gen was absolutely convinced that Peter was much more than a simple dream. Lexi? She had never heard the name in her life, yet it seemed to haunt her. She had laid in her hammock for hours and Newt was still asleep across from her, snoring lightly. Peter seemed quite determined for her to be with Minho, why? She had no idea. She also didn't understand why he referred to him as 'The Leader'. He wasn't the leader- Alby was and should Alby ever give up his position, it would be taken up by Newt who was second in command. Minho would have been cut out for the position, he was far too hot headed and arrogant for the role, he probably wouldn't have even taken it seriously; it was just stupid even considering him for the part. As for Newt being 'The Glue'? What did that even mean? Perhaps he kept them altogether? After all, he was the one that kept her from falling apart. He was the one constant thing in her life. Sitting up in her hammock, she looked over to Newt, he was peaceful and even brought a smile to her face. They hadn't spoken for a bit, and she admitted to herself over and over just how much she missed him- she just didn't know why she missed him. It wasn't like he was gone, he was just across the room from her- so close, yet at the same time so far. It was almost like he was a fragile china doll that would crack should she touch him. Of course, he was a fighter and stronger than she would ever be, but it was that fear she felt to approach him, fear that she would lose him. So instead she had convinced herself that it was okay not to approach him or even speak to him, perhaps her mind was addicted to the grief that came with slowly losing someone? They were the questions that haunted her mind along with Peter.

"Why are you staring at me?" Snapping back into reality, Gen realized that Newt was very much so awake and was sitting up, his eyes locked onto hers and a smirk plastered over his face. His hair was a mess and his tired eyes blinked in an attempt to stop the itch that came with the morning light.

"I'm not staring." Gen replied, averting her eyes from his, "I was admiring your hair." She didn't bother to look back at him to see his reaction, but something told her that he was smiling,

"Like you can bloody talk." He replied, snapping her head around to look at him, she found that he had fallen back into his hammock and had his forearm resting over his eyes, "Sleep well?" He asked. There was a brief moment of silence as Gen watched him, she wasn't sure what to make of their small talk, or him.

"Fine, I guess." She lied, laying back down in her hammock, "You?" Gen once again didn't look at him, but she could her the sound of his feet on the ground and the sound of him moving towards her before his face came into view above her, a small smirk on his face,

"Brilliant." He answered, "Chuck decided to pull some prank on Gally in the bathroom last night." He sniggered,

"And that caused you to sleep well?" She questioned with her eyebrow raised. Newt grinned down at her,

"Went to bed feeling good." He shrugged nonchalantly, "Alby wants to have a chat with the kid though. Poor shank. Alby's bloody furious with him."

"What'd he do to Alby?" Gen asked,

"What Chuck does best." Gen smiled softly before she turned on her side, Newt's face moved from her line of sight along with her nerves that faded with his face.

"Well, you have fun with that, I need a couple more minutes of sleep." She fake yawned, closing her eyes for effect, she also didn't really want to have anything to do with Minho for a while, the so called 'spark that lit her fire'. Tapping his foot, Newt grabbed her shoulder and pulled her back onto her back,

"You can't bloody do that. That's not fair." He mocked, "If I've gotta suffer, you do too." Gen rolled her eyes, moving back onto her side. She listened as Newt sniggered, he seemed to be in quite a pleasant mood which was far batter than a stressful Newt. "Well, if you're gonna stay here. Move over." He demanded. Pushing gently on her back as he attempted to slide in beside her. Turning around to face him, the hammock began to sway violently as Newt jumped in, grabbing each side of the hammock to steady himself while Gen clinged to his shirt,

"Look what you did." She hissed, as the hammock started to slow and the threat of being thrown to the ground began to decrease. Newt chuckled softly. His back leaning against the most upper part of the hammock that left him in a near sitting position. Shifting upward, Gen sat beside him, her heartbeat increasing rapidly as Newt wrapped an arm around her shoulder, looking down at her with a smirk,

"I didn't do bloody anything." He replied, grabbing the side of hammock closest to him and rocking it once more.

"Newt. I'm warning you." Gen snapped, although she couldn't conceal the smile on her face as he started to rock it faster, "Newt, stop it!" Newt ignored her and the threat of being thrown from the hammock became a reality as Newt pushed down far too hard on his side, causing him to fall from the hammock with a thud, Gen landing on top of him. Newt gave out a soft groan probably due to the fact she accidentally elbowed him in the chest.

"How much do you bloody weigh?" Newt groaned. Gen rolled her eyes, rolling off of him to lay on her back, the ground was hard and uncomfortable, but it didn't seem to both her. Looking to her side, she saw that Newt had rolled onto his side and was watching her with an amused expression. He wasn't usually one to try and annoy someone, but it wasn't even really that annoying- in some ways, she was sure this was his way at getting back at her for all the stress she caused him. "You should brush your hair. Just sayin'" Newt informed her, leaning forward so his face was only a few centimeters from hers,

"You should probably do the same." She replied. Newt flashed her a smile before he leant forward and did something that she didn't expect. He leant forward and pecked her on the lips- it was only brief and lasted for only a second, but she knew it would be imprinted in her memory for as long as she lived. Rolling back onto his back, Newt was quiet and no longer smiled, instead he wore a serious expression and his brow was furrowed,

"That was wrong." He breathed, talking to himself before he sat up and looked down at her, "I'm sorry." He said before he stood and moved towards the door. Gen sat up, watching him as he left without a word. She didn't know what she felt- she wasn't happy. She wasn't sad. She felt... numb.

**A/N: Sorry guys, I've got a whole heap of exams. Also, little something for the Gewt fans ;) **


	40. I Hate You

"Ben? What are you doing here?" Gen asked snapping her head around to look at the tall boy that had made himself known to her by clearing his throat. Gen still hadn't properly recovered from the unexpected kiss from Newt and she had to admit it had made her on edge when it came to anyone who had a connection to Minho.

"Well, I think I'm getting sick." Ben informed her in the most unconvincing voice Gen had ever heard; her eyebrow raised as Ben lifted his left hand to cover his mouth as her 'coughed'.

"Um... sure. What seems to be the problem?" She asked, crossing her arms over her chest and giving Ben a polite smile. She imagined Clint had to deal with fakers all the time and due to her being the Keeper of the Med-Jack's it was now her duty to do so.

"I have a...er... cough and a bit of a headache and my nose his runny..." He trailed off, counting them off on his fingers as if he had been given a specific list of symptoms he had been forced to remember and recite.

"I see..." Gen trailed off, nodding slowly at Ben who moved further into her and... Newt's hut. Gen frowned, thinking of Newt seemed to almost hurt. She had heard what Peter had said and she was pretty convinced Peter was much more than a figment of her imagination. Not with the things he said. The things he knew. Crossing the wooden floorboards to meet him, both teenagers stopped within a rather short distance of each other before Gen lifted her hand and placed it onto Ben's forehead. There wasn't anything spectacular about his temperature, in fact, it was pretty much the same as anyone else's. Moving back, she sighed and allowed her eyes to flick upwards to meet his. He seemed nervous and considering he was lying... quite badly to her, "So, did Minho put you up to this?" She asked, her eyes locked solely onto Ben who gave her everything she needed to know by simply swallowing,

"Ah... no."

"You're lying to me."

"Klunk." He muttered under his breath, "Okay fine. Minho wants you to run the maze today." Ben confessed rather easily. Shifting towards the door, Ben quickly grabbed onto Gen's arm and pulled her back towards him. "No, don't." he warned.

"Don't what?" She glared, looking down at his hand before back at him. Ben swallowed once more but forced himself to keep his grip,

"Don't say anything to Minho about it." He said. Gen clenched her fist, she had the sudden urge to punch Minho in his shuck face. "Actually, nevermind. Here he is now." Quickly letting go of her arm, Ben spun her around to face the door. As he had said, Minho was standing in the doorway, his toned arms crossed over his chest as he raised his eyebrow at them, a smirk creeping onto his face. She hadn't seen Minho since the night where she told him that should the world end, she would be his. Gen hadn't anticipated how Minho would have reacted to that, due to her quickly leaving once she had let the words slip. But Minho's expression gave no sign that he remembered anything. But then again, Minho was clever, much more clever than many gave him credit for.

"Well, hello there." Minho greeted making both Gen and Ben raise their eyebrows,

"Hey." They both greeted in union,

"I just thought I'd come by to check on this shuck over here." Minho grinned pointing to Ben who once again gave a fake cough, looking to Gen with pleading eyes.

"Oh? You mean his apparent sickness?" She snapped, looking directly at Minho who shrugged his shoulders,

"Look at him, he is sick." He replied stubbornly, yet with a calm tone as if he knew straight out he was right and didn't have the time to argue. Which Gen had to admit was strange due to he fact she knew how much Minho loved to argue.

"He is _not _sick, Minho." She muttered, crossing her arms over her chest. She wasn't going to lose her position as Keeper just because Minho wanted to play a game. "You can't pretend I'm an idiot and that I'm not going to notice." She said with a frown. Minho stared at her for only a minute longer before his gaze flicked to Ben,

"Can you give is a moment, shank?" He asked in a gruff tone of voice that really meant 'Go away'. Giving a small nod, Ben darted out of the door which would have been a miracle for anyone who was as sick as he supposedly was. As soon as Minho was sure that Ben was gone he moved forward, his eyes falling to his feet as he stopped a short distance in front of her, "Heard about you and Newt." He muttered bitterly, his hands clenched in tight fists as he spoke, "Actually... I _saw _you and Newt, but give that sounds a little creepy." He murmured, trying his best to soften his tone as he spoke. Gen was speechless, she simply stared at Minho, examining every inch of his face as he continued to speak, "You want him then? Don't freak out I'm not going to tell Alby." Minho assured her, flashing her a grin. She wanted to speak, but no words would escape her lips as she parted them. She wanted to hug him, to tell him that it wasn't true that she meant what she said in his hut, but somewhere deep inside told her that it would equate to no more than a lie. She didn't know what she felt for Minho, or for Newt. For some reason, everything screamed at her that caring wasn't an advantage, that it just wasn't worth it. Minho shifted on his feet, his eyes focused on her for only a moment longer before he smirked, "Silence? That's all I get? Silence?!" He slowly raised his voice as he spoke, causing Gen to flinch, but still she remained silent as if her silence created some kind of safety within solitude. "Just..." Calming himself down, Minho took a breath, "Just say something."

"What do you want me to say?" Gen forced out, making her words were laced with apathy. Sentiment was a dangerous thing and she would not fall victim to it. However, everything she had with the dark haired boy in front of her was decorated with pretty sentiment. Minho shrugged his broad shoulders, moving even closer to her, his hand reaching for the string around her neck and pulling the coin up, his eyes locked onto it before they met hers,

"So, what about this? Does this mean anything to you?" Gen opened her mouth to speak but was quickly cut off by Chuck's voice,

"Hey Gen, what're are you... hey Minho." His tone trailed off as Minho paused, his eyes still locked onto Gen before he looked over his shoulder at Chuck,

"Hey Chuck." He greeted softly, dropping the coin from his fingers and moving towards him, causing Chuck to flinch, "What are you doing here? Did Newt send you?" He asked rather coarsely. Chuck shook his head,

"I just wanted to see Gen." Chuck rushed before he ran towards Gen, "Hey Gen...?" He whispered softly, looking over to Minho at where he stood near the doorway. "I still don't like Minho... he kinda scares me." He whispered softly, covering his mouth so Minho couldn't read his lips. Gen smirked,

"No one likes him." She whispered back,

"I can hear you, shucks!" Minho cried loudly, an irritated look on his face as he spoke. Swalloing, Chuck flinched once more,

"Anyway, Gen... I ah... just wanted to say that... well, I just wanted to know if we could have dinner?" Chuck asked, looking over at Minho who looked extremely annoyed before he quickly turned back to face Gen, "On second thoughts, nevermind." He smiled nervously before he moved towards the door, keeping as much distance between he and Minho as possible before he was, like Ben, gone. Leaving Gen and Minho to stare at each other, each trying to work the other out. For only a moment longer, they stared at each other before Minho moved towards her and took a tight hold of both of her arms.

"Who else do you have wrapped around your finger?" He asked with a small smirk as he leant towards her. Gen stood her ground, she knew what Minho was like; hot head with a bad attitude. But there was more to him than that, far more that hid beneath the surface, but the more Gen spent with him, the more she was finding it hard to see it.

"Go away, Minho." She hissed, shoving his chest. Letting her go, Minho stood back and watched as Gen started to cry. She didn't mean to and her eyes gave no sign that they were about to fall or that they had even gathered. "I hate you." She spat, the tears running down her face, "I hate you so much." she was lying, she knew deep down that she was lying. Staring at her, Minho took a short breath,

"No, you don't." He replied simply. More tears spilled as Minho's words reached her. He was right, right in so many ways that not even Gen understood,

"Well, I should. I should hate you." hating Minho would have made everything much easier, she had reason to, her was the source of everything that had gone wrong in her time as a Glader. But, no matter what happened, she always seemed to return to him, as if he was the one thing she was dependant on. "I wish I did." She nodded at him. Minho refused to look at her, his eyes were focused on a spot behind her shoulder.

"Alright then, shuck. How about this. Run the maze with me. If anything bad happens, I promise I'll let you live your life. I won't bother you anymore." He said, "Then you and Newt can live your happy little romance." Staring at him, Gen wiped her cheeks before she gave a nod,

"Fine."

**A/N: Hey guys. Long time no see. I just graduated so... been kinda busy. Sorry. Plus, I'm writing my own book. So yeah, I won't be doing daily updates anymore, but I will continue. Sorry bout the wait. **


	41. Silence is the Most Painful Sound

The Maze as usual, was long and tiring, but the fact that Minho had refused to talk to her for the most part of the day was what made it so long. Gen didn't get why he was so upset with her, she never anticipated that Newt would do... that. She honestly believed they were merely friends. It was in no way and action to someway offend Minho. But, no matter how much she justified her actions within her own mind; it didn't matter. Minho was annoyed and when he was annoyed, there was nothing Gen could do but wait. However, Minho didn't ignore her completely... no. He occasionally stopped, telling her to leave 'bread crumbs' via the vines on the large walls that acted as their prison .In fact, in all honesty, she was the one ignoring him. Gen would always reply with simple nods of her head, or sometimes nothing at merely, doing exactly as he asked without so much as looking at him. She could not help but feel a mixture of guilt, awkwardness and nervousness whenever she so much as laid eyes on the tanned boy that ran in front of her and when she did, Peter's words entered her mind 'Minho's the spark that lit your fire, sweetheart.' What fire? What spark? There was so much that she didn't understand. So many unanswered questions she had for the man in her dreams that she was pretty certain was more than just a dream. For some reason, Gen found herself dependant on the unanswered questions that racked her mind, as if they were the key to everything,

"Okay... that's enough." Minho muttered, coming to a steady stop. Looking over his shoulder at Gen, she took note of the sweat that ran down his face, the stern expression he wore as a badge on honour and most importantly, the soft, hurt look in his eyes that made Gen want to look away from him. Giving a nod, Gen removed her back pack and took a well needed seat on the ground, her eyes locked onto the back pack at all times. She knew that Minho was watching her, she could feel his eyes locked onto her, as if he wanted to say something. But, as expected, silence filled the air and Minho looked away, taking a seat a good metre away from her and rummaging through his own back pack. Gen was reminded of the first time she entered the Maze with Minho, when she had so foolishly not brought anything to eat and Minho shared his sandwich with her. The memory brought a small smile to her face as she stole a quick glance at Minho who pulled out another sandwich, taking a large bite out of it, his eyes locked ahead of him. Gen had soon realized that the thing with Minho was, he liked to act like the tough guy, the guy who didn't care about anyone but himself, but deep down, he did care and it scared the hell out of him.

"How far until we head back?" Gen asked in no more than a whisper, her eyes locked onto the apple she had brought with her. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Minho flinch, lowering his sandwich before he took a small breath,

"Not too long now." He replied shortly, clearly uncomfortable with having to speak to her. "Why?" He finally asked after a long pause.

"No reason." Gen replied quickly, noticing her own discomfort as the poor excuse for a conversation proceeded. "Just wondering."

"Always like you to ask stupid questions." Minho replied with a soft smirk that made Gen's discomfort disappear into thin air. Turning to look at him, the pair locked eyes and with that, Minho smiled,

"I don't ask stupid questions. How was that a stupid question?" She asked, trying to contain her own smile. She had missed Minho in the short while they had not spoken. It was something that seemed unreasonable to her; missing someone who had been with her the entire time. But she really did.

"Please. If I weren't here, you'd be lost on the first corner." Minho scoffed. Raising her eyebrow, Gen giggled softly to herself,

"What does that have to do with stupid questions, shank?"

"Oh, I thought we were talking about you being a shuck and doing stupid things." Minho replied, earning himself a soft laugh from Gen who leaned back against the hard wall. There was a moment of silence before Minho spoke once more, "Gen. Don't move." He whispered quickly, "Stay absolutely still." He told her, causing a rush of fear to surge through her body as curiosity got the better of her and she turned her head to look at the large mechanical creature known to them as a 'Griever' stood at the end of the long corridor.

"What do we do?" Gen whispered back at Minho who was still,

"Run." He replied, "On the count of three... one... two..." Gen prepared herself for the sprint, her life depended on it, "Three." Kicking off from the ground, Gen ran as fast as her legs would allow her after Minho, who was a lot faster than her. She could hear the clicking and whirring of the Griever that followed them, but she refused to look back at it. Keeping her eyes ahead, she watched the corner that was quickly approaching her, if she turned at the right moment, perhaps the Griever would hit the wall. It was a slim chance but her only shot. As the corner rapidly approached them, Minho turned with ease, not losing any speed as he did so. The Griever was right behind her, the clicking echoing in her head as she relied on the adrenalin that came with the fear. The wall drew closer, she felt a sharp pang in her back before she turned sharply, looking over at the creature that slammed into the wall. Feeling a sigh of relief wash over her, she let out a laugh and continued to follow Minho. As they came to a steady stop, Minho quickly turned on his heel and embraced her. Gen was quite shocked at the fact that Minho hugged her, but as she slowly wrapped her arms back around him, he felt him pull his head back to look at her. Doing the same, Gen looked up at him, he wore a concerned expression on his face,

"I thought you were a goner there, Girly." He smirked, leaning down towards her. Gen froze, she knew what he was doing and no matter how wrong it was, Gen still let it happen. The kiss was different to the one with Newt, it was confident and long and Gen even found herself kissing him back. Pulling back, Minho grinned at her, moving back down to peck her lips once more before he let her go, "Well... that was fun." He smirked, his cockiness apparently knowing no bounds as he placed both hands on his hips. Gen stepped towards him, feeling the sharp pain in her beack before she collapsed to the ground. Something was wrong. Very wrong and as Minho rushed to her side, everything had started to go black and that was when Gen realized what had happened. She had been stung.


	42. Love

Minho looked down at Gen's stilled body, more specifically at the small gash on the top of her head where he had hit her. The crimson liquid trailing down the side of her head. He had no choice. He did what he had to in order to protect himself. Gen had simply ran around of the corner and attacked him... he had no choice but to defend himself. Minho had the displeasure of dealing with many of whom had been stung whilst running the Maze with him, but Gen being stung was the worst imaginable thing that Minho could have ever allowed to enter his mind. Because of him, the worst possible thing _had _happened and there was no one else to blame but himself. Bending down, Minho scooped her into his arms, brushing the fringe of her hair from her forehead and breaking into a sprint.

'_Hold on, girly._' He thought to himself, not allowing his mind to think of what would happen were he not quick enough to take her back to the Glade for Clint to treat her. Newt would surely have his head for allowing Gen to come to such harm, but Minho didn't care. He knew that he was to blame, but if Gally could survive the changing, so could Gen. There was no way she would die. Or be banished... he would make sure of that. If Gen were to be banished, Minho wasn't sure what he would do. Minho also could not help but smirk at the irony of having to go to Clint for help. He would surely be annoyed at having to once again become the Keeper of the Med-Jack's, even if it were only temporary. Running down the long corridors, Minho didn't bother checking the passing openings for Grievers. He had to concentrate on running, being sure that he took the quickest path back towards the Glade.

"Help!" He cried as the light of the Glade entered his line of sight. He was so close, yet still so far. "Help me!" He called once more, drawing the attention of a few passing Gladers that ran towards the opening, all screaming out words he couldn't hear. Running out of the Maze, Minho didn't stop, he continued to run towards the Med-Jack building, yelling out Clint's name as he did so. Kicking open the door, Minho found Clint staring at him wide eyed, "Gen was stung. You have to do something." He cried, placing her down onto the mouldy bed. Stepping back and away from her, Clint quickly took her place, examining her head,

"How did this happen?" He asked.

"I had no choice." Minho replied stiffly, "Now shucking save her." He hissed. Turning on his heel, Minho found Alby and Newt both of whom calmly entered the hut,

"She was stung?" Alby asked, looking from Minho to Clint who gave a nod,

"Yes. But, it appears she has not yet entered the Changing." He frowned, "I don't understand. It's like something is stalling the process." He said softly, bending over and peering down at her with a concerned look.

"Minho, go get yourself cleaned up." Alby commanded him? Standing his ground, Minho gave no sign that he was planning to do as he was... commanded. He wanted to stay and that was exactly what he was planning to do. "Minho..."

"Alby. Stop." Newt cut him off, much to Minho's surprise, "He wants to stay. Bloody let him." Shrugging his shoulders, Alby gave a reluctant nod,

"Fine. Clint... a word." Giving a small nod, Clint followed Alby out of the hut, leaving Minho and Newt alone.

"It's not your fault." Newt told him.

"I didn't say it was, shank. Gen made her decision to come. Dangers of running the Maze." He said simply, averting his eyes from the blonde and looking down at Gen's face. Her eyes were shut and her face was paler than it usually was. Newt didn't say anything, but Minho listened to his footsteps as he moved to stand next to him, his eyes also locked onto Gen's face. "Never thought you to be the sentimental type, shuck." He smirked, crossing his arms over his chest.

"What do you mean?" Newt asked with a frown, looking towards Minho, "There's nothing wrong with sentiment." Minho rolled his eyes,

"I mean... you and Gen." He clarified, earning a grin from the honeyed blonde who placed his hands on his hips,

"I was waiting for that." He confessed, "Ben told me you bloody saw us." Minho gave out a sigh. That was about the third time Ben had betrayed his trust, yet he was still foolish enough to tell him rather important things... or well, things important to him. "I have no idea what you want me to bloody say, shank." He grumbled.

"Anything." Minho snapped. "Stop standing there like everything is okay!"

"Well, what am I supposed to bloody do?" Newt snapped back, furrowing his brow, "Aren't I supposed to be the bloody angry one? She's here because you couldn't do your job." He muttered, "As the Keeper of the Runners shouldn't you protect your runners and make sure this doesn't happen?" Minho said nothing, averting his eyes from Newt and back onto Gen, He finally understood Newt's affiliation with Gen... he loved her. It was something Minho neither felt or understood, but it was the truth; Newt loved Gen and somehow, it made him more annoyed than the fact he had kissed her.

"Well, you stay here with Ms. Comatose over here and I'll work on trying to control the Grievers." Minho smiled mockingly at Newt who wore a blank expression, his eyes locked solely onto Gen. Shifting past him, Minho didn't look back at Gen's still body as he moved out of the Med-Jack hut. He was jealous of the bond Newt and Gen shared... he just didn't know why. Passing Alby and Clint, Minho ignored them both as they called out his name. Minho didn't take orders from Alby, or Clint for that matter. As he moved towards his own hut, Minho focused on blocking out the world around him and instead, pretended that everything was okay. That Gen had made it back okay and was in Newt's embrace. But instead of making him feel better, the thought of her in Newt's arms made his stomach turn and his chest to ache.


	43. All of My Memories

Opening her eyes, Gen gave out a groan as she forced herself to sit up. Had she survived? She remembering nothing of the Changing, not the pain, not anything.

"Hello Sweetheart." Peter's voice greeted her. Looking around at the older man, Gen's brow furrowed as she became aware of her surroundings. She was inside of the shack, laying on an old bed while Peter sat on a chair beside her, his eyebrow raised as he watched her,

"Why am I here?" She asked looking around, "What happened?"

"Well, what do you think happened?" Peter asked with a small smirk, "What's the last thing that you remember?" His tone was serious. Something that was unusual when they met inside of her head.

"I can't..." Frowning, she tried to remember the events leading up to when she blacked out, "No, wait... I think I remember. I ran around the corner..." She began, her gaze shifting from Peter's gaze, "I hugged Minho... and he... he kissed me-"

"Alright. I'm going to cut you off there." Peter smirked, leaning forwards and forcing himself to stand, "You've been stung, sweetheart and I can assure you that Minho did _not _kiss you. In fact, you ran gracefully around the corner and attacked Minho who then punched you." Peter smirked. Gen said nothing, instead allowing her eyes to fall to her lap.

"Then why do I remember it differently?" She asked softly.

"You've been stung. Causes you to hallucinate." Peter shrugged lightly, followed by a wink.

"Well, how do I wake up?" She asked, pushing herself off of the bed and moving towards the wooden desk that sat against the wall, collecting dust like everything else in the hut.

"You've been stung, darling." Peter muttered, "You're not going anywhere." Turning on her heel to face him, Gen narrowed her eyes,

"You can't keep me here." She growled, "I need to go back to the Glade... I need to get back to Minho, Newt, Chuck... Hell, even Clint!" She cried, thinking of her other friends she didn't mention. Grabbing both of her wrists, Peter pulled her towards him,

"You're not going anywhere." He snapped, "You're going to stay here. You're going to do exactly what I tell you to do and you're going to survive. I am not going to let you die. Not after the things I have had to do to ensure your safety."

"What are you talking about?" Gen replied, trying to pull herself from Peter's strong hold.

"I was the one who saved you from damnation. If _they _had their way, you would have been killed along with your mother." Peter snapped, "_I _protected you."

"By placing me inside that shucking maze?" She asked,

"It was far better than dying." Peter replied, loosening his grip on her wrists and pushing her back.

"Who are you?" Gen then asked, his tone softening as she locked eyes with Peter, "Are you.. are you my dad?" She asked. Peter stared at her, his head tilted slightly before he gave out a laugh,

"No. I'm not your father, Genevieve." He smirked, "There are things you will not understand. You have a chip in your head for a reason. You don't remember your past for a _reason_, darling." Gen stared at him,

"I don't care. Who are you?" She asked once more. Peter sighed softly, crossing his arms over his chest and raising both his eyebrows,

"I was rather close to your mother." He stated simply, "She... was important to me and because of my actions, she and your father suffered a painful death. But, that is why I'm here. It's my job to protect you. To make sure you make it through the trials." He said,

"Trials?" Gen questioned,

"Yes, trials. You're one of the lucky ones in the group. You're immune." He smiled, "Like your mother was... your father wasn't so lucky." Peter informed her,

"Are you immune?" Gen asked lightly, she didn't understand what it meant to be 'immune', but it sounded as though it was important. Peter gave a small nod,

"That I am. One of the few, which is why I'm quite important in my line of work."

"And that is?" Opening his mouth to speak, Peter frowned before he quickly shut his mouth and looked away from her,

"I shouldn't be telling you anything. You'll find out eventually." He muttered, "Now, I'm going to need you to concentrate. This is very important in you surviving the Changing, as you and your precious friends call it." Gen said nothing, simply staring at Peter who shifted towards her and placed his hands on her shoulders before leading her towards the chair he was sitting on. Forcing her to sit, he knelt down in front of her and cupped her face, "I want you to close your eyes." Doing as she was told, she closed her eyes, "Now, listen to only my voice. We only have a small time gap until things get nasty." Peter said, "My presence here as managed to make the Changing a far more bearable experience. But you have to listen to me." Gen gave a small nod of understanding, "I want you to keep breathing, concentrate on that. I want you to keep your eyes shut no matter what you see..." As Peter continued to speak, Gen felt herself drift off, everything that kept her alert and on edge seemingly disappearing. Instead, she felt calm... as if she was in front of a warm fire in the arms of someone she knew loved her very dearly...

_Opening her eyes, Gen found herself in the arms of a woman she didn't recognise, but something inside of her told her it was her mother. She was eight years old, Gen didn't know how she knew that, she just knew. Looking up at her mother's face, she felt the warmness of her smile, the love in her eyes making Gen feel as though she was safe._

"_Is something wrong, love?" The woman Gen believed to be her mother spoke in a calm, soft tone of voice. Gen gave a nod, snuggling into her mother's arms... _

Feeling everything go black once more, the memory changed once more...

"_Mum, please. Don't let them take me away." Gen was screaming as a man pulled her away kicking and screaming, her arms reaching out towards her mother who sobbed in the arms of a man she recognised to be Peter, who had handcuffed her mother with a blank expression, all the while Gen listened as her mother begged him to stop. To let Gen go free._

"_You promised me!" She cried, fighting against Peter's hold, "You promised me you'd protect us. You're a liar... You're a liar." She wept, giving into Peter's hold and collapsing to the ground. Gen was crying too. Even as the man pulled her further away from her mother, she continued to scream and kick in his hold, only stilling when the man placed a cloth over her mouth and nose and everything went black... _

_...When Gen opened her eyes once more, everything had changed, she was no longer the weeping eight year old girl screaming for her mother, instead, she was the numb, emotionless girl of sixteen, staring blankly ahead of her as a boy's face peered down at a clipboard, taking down a couple of notes before his eyes met with hers. He was around her age with short, brown hair and light brown eyes. Opening her mouth, she tried to say something, anything. But she couldn't. Something was wrong. Trying to reach out and grab the boy, her hands stopped short, connecting with a thick glass that separated them. Jumping back, the boy stared at her wide eyed as she continued to slam her palms against the glass that separated them. Moving out of the way, the boy stepped back and in his place, Peter stood in front of the glass, a small smile on his face as their eyes connected and the rage that Gen had concealed deep inside of her spilled over as she tried to scream at him. But, the only thing that escaped her lips were a series of air bubbles that floated to the top of the cylinder she had been placed in, filled to the brim with water... Gen continued to slam her palms against the glass in hopes of shattering it. She had to get out. But not for her own freedom, Gen wanted nothing more than to watch the man who had betrayed her and her family die. _

Opening her eyes, Gen gasped, grabbing onto Peter's shoulder who steadied her,

"You're alright, sweetheart." He soothed, placing his hand on her face to push back her hair. Slowing her breathing, Gen locked eyes with Peter and the anger she felt within what she believed to be her memories came to surface,

"You traitor!" She screamed, shoving him away from her with as much force as she could muster, "You did this to me! My parents are dead because of _you_." She hissed, moving towards Peter who scrambled to his feet and turned to face her,

"I _loved _your mother... Sweet Lexi... You look just like her you know. I would have gladly done anything to save her life. But... she... she gave me no choice. You don't understand." She argued, moving back towards her. Gen quickly moved back, hitting the wall before she looked around for anything she could use to fight him off,

"Don't come near me." She snapped, "I want you to go."

"To go?" Peter scoffed, "I'm what's keeping you alive."

"Then I'd rather be dead." Gen whispered, blinking back the tears. Peter was taken back, staring at her with a mixture of surprise and frustration.

"You don't even remember your parents. Why should you care about people who mean nothing to you. You can't love someone you don't remember." He snapped at her, "Here's some advice for you, love." He smiled, taking another step towards her, "You think this tragic, star-crossed, love triangle is going to last forever? Soon enough, those boys are going to wake up and realise that you're playing them."

"Whatever happened to Minho being my spark, huh?" Gen spat, her eyes narrowed. Peter paused, running a hand through his hair before he smiled,

"I just say what I'm forced to say. I don't think either of those boys are good enough for you. The way they're both living, the pair of them are racing to an early grave." He shrugged, "Trust me when I say, love causes more pain than pleasure."

"Stop talking to me like we're friends!" Gen cried angrily, moving forward and shoving him, "My parents are dead because of you. I'm in this god forsaken Maze _because _of _you._" Moving past him, Gen ran towards the door. Feeling herself stop short, Gen turned her head to look at Peter who had grabbed her arm,

"You want me gone, girl?" He growled. Gen said nothing, her fearless eyes locked onto the man responsible for ruining her life, "Learn to slay your demons when you're awake so they won't be there when you sleep." Staring at her for a second longer, Peter let her go and without another word, Gen turned away from him and ran towards the door. She had to survive. She had to survive and get back to the Glade.

**A/N: So... I tried to mix things up a little due to James Dashner not actually writing what the Changing is like. So, I also thought I would clear things up with who Peter was and even a little on Gen's background. I do hope you enjoyed this chapter though :) **


	44. The Mysterious Case of Minho

Pacing around the room, Clint occasionally glanced at the Keeper of the Med-Jacks, the girl who had become not only his friend, but his leader. It had been three days since she had begun the Changing, a total of four that she had been in the comatose state. Clint was sure that she had done everything she could to save Gen, he had injected her with the serum and both he and Jeff took turns to watch over her. For the moment, Gen was still, her chest rising and falling and her sweat covered skin glistened in the light that seeped through the windows. Sometimes, when Clint closed his eyes, he could still envision the girl thrashing around on the bed, both Newt and Gally restraining her. But that was nothing compared to the pained expression on Newt's face. Newt felt guilt for Gen's misfortune, but Newt's guilt was nothing compared to Minho's... but the difference was, Minho denied his guilt with every ounce of his being and instead of accepting his part in her being stung, had the audacity to blame Newt. Although Newt felt just as much pain as Minho did, it was Minho who was the concern to Alby, who had tasked him with finding out what was 'really wrong' with Minho. As if his 'symptoms' could be tied to a physical injury. Of course, Alby was too foolish and stubborn to believe that internal pain was just as painful and deadly as the wounds suffered in both the Glade and the Maze. Minho had refused to run the Maze for the entirety that Gen had been in Clint's care. Sometimes, Minho would refuse to leave her side, staring at her for hours without so much as speaking a word. Other times, he wouldn't visit at all, instead pretending she didn't exist. Hearing the door open, Clint closed his eyes and gave out a small sigh as he listened to the slow footsteps that came towards him,

"You shouldn't be here." Clint muttered, turning his head around to look to Minho. As always, Minho said nothing, simply shrugging his shoulders and moving towards the chair that was positioned next to Gen's bed. As always, Minho did what Minho wanted to do and no one, not even Alby could tell him differently, "Minho. Alby said you can't be here." Clint stressed, his eyes locked onto Minho who gave no sign that he even _heard _him. Instead, his eyes were focused not even onto Gen, but onto his hands, "Minho, you listening to me!?"

"Yeah, yeah... Admirable Alby doesn't want me here, blah, blah, blah." Minho said, rolling his eyes. Clint had to admit that he was very surprised that Minho had even spoken to him. It seemed as though the only person who was able to get anything out of Minho was Newt... and not in a good way.

"I need to keep watch over her." Clint said. Minho looked over his shoulder at him,

"Consider this your break, shuck." He smirked before allowing his gaze to move back to his hands,

"You need to leave." Moving over to the bed, Clint placed his hand on Gen's forehead, feeling her temperature before looking to Minho who wore a nonchalant expression that he used to hide his concern, "I'm not leaving you alone with her. You have no idea what you're doing." Clint said, although the attempt was pointless, "You need to leave." He repeated for the hundredth time, causing them to sound almost fake and even a little rehearsed. Minho, unsurprisingly gave no reply, only a stubborn look that caused Clint to sigh in frustration. The last time that he had to deal with Minho being a stubborn shuck, the only way Clint was able to get him to leave Gen's side was when Gally and Newt dragged him off to let Clint and Jeff have _some _peace and quiet whilst they tried to control the thrashing girl. Even Newt, who probably cared about Gen just as much as Minho did knew when to stay away. But on the upside, at least Minho was actually _talking_. "You know what, Minho? I have had it with you. You want to stay here. Fine." Moving towards the door, Minho made no attempt to stop him, or even reply to his comment,

"What are you doing?" Looking up, Clint once again sighed as he locked eyes with the honey-blonde boy that stood a foot taller than him. Newt wasn't nearly as bad as Minho was, but he was very pushy when it came to being updated on her condition. _Maybe I should request for guards so these shucks leave the poor girl alone. _He thought to himself,

"Hello to you too, Newt." He greeted. As Newt pushed past him, Clint was forced to move back into the room,

"Alby told me to check in on her." He told Clint, who gave a mocking nod. Any excuse Newt had to see his 'roomie' he took, "What are you doin' here?" He then said as he finally noticed Minho who had ignored his presence, Minho gave no reply. "You shouldn't be here." Newt frowned before his accusing eyes flicked to Clint,

"Oh, don't give him that look." Minho groaned, "He's been tellin' me all morning to get out." Clint sighed in relief as Newt's gaze moved from him and set back onto Minho,

"Then why haven't you bloody left?" Minho shrugged his shoulders, "You're not a Med-Jack, so you shouldn't be here… Hello? Are you bloody listening to me?" Stepping forward, Clint placed a hand onto Newt's shoulder,

"Give him a break." He whispered, his mind returning to the task Alby had set him. So far, everything Minho had done proved his theory correct, all but one thing: he was Minho. Were it anyone else, were it even Newt, who Clint knew held a strong flame for the girl, there would be no doubt in his mind about what was going on. But he was Minho. Shrugging his hand off, Newt moved closer to Minho,

"You think you're the only one who cares about Gen, shuck?" Minho didn't respond, he simply watched Gen's face, "She's not your girlfriend." Standing, Minho quickly grabbed a hold of Newt's collar, a look of fury in his eyes.

"I won't argue with that." He smirked, "But, she's not yours either." Shoving him off, Newt brushed his shirt down before he placed his hands on his hips, "If you hadn't have scared her away with that kiss. None of this would have happened, shuck." Minho growled, the words quite familiar to both Clint and Newt,

"Stop blaming _me _for your mistakes." Newt replied, "I didn't ask her to go into the Maze, that's on bloody you. Everything, that has gone wrong for her is because of you." Newt hissed. There was a moment of silence before Newt averted his eyes, "Minho, I'm sorry." He muttered, "I didn't mean that... I'm just bloody worried." Clint watched on as the pair stared at each other, before Minho pushed past the pair of them to leave.

"You shouldn't have done that." Clint frowned at the blonde who just so happened to be second in command,

"I said I was bloody sorry." Newt grumbled, "But, he needed to leave." Newt's tone became softer as he spoke, taking up Minho's seat beside Gen, "Anyway, Alby wants to talk to you." He tried his best to sound nonchalant about it all, but Clint knew exactly what he was talking about,

"I need more time." He stated. Newt looked over his shoulder at him, a look of confusion on his face and it was then that Clint realised that Alby had not informed him about what was going on. "Never mind. Can you stay here and watch over Gen until I return?" He asked. Newt gave a small nod before Clint took a breath and turned on his heel. Following in Minho's footsteps, Clint exited the room and attempted to come up with a reasonable explanation for Minho's behaviour based on the evidence he had gathered. Yet, no matter how hard he tried to convince himself that his theory was correct the thought felt wrong. The idea of Minho being... it was just wrong. The entire concept was just wrong. He had studied everything there was and even compared the symptoms to Gally and even Alby himself, everything made sense, but it was still wrong. Knocking on Alby's door, Clint didn't wait long before it swung open and the dark-skinned leader himself greeted him with a warm smile before inviting him in. Clint held his breath as he moved into the room, the uneasiness he felt only grew stronger,

"You have an answer then?" Alby asked, sitting down onto one of the old chairs and gesturing for Clint to do the same,

"Ah, I think so. I'm not sure…" His voice trailed off as Alby raised his eyebrow,

"I need to know why Minho hasn't been running the Maze." He said calmly, "Has he got a fever? Some kind of injury he hasn't had the guts to tell ya about?" He asked and it was then Clint realised that Alby wasn't naïve. He was in denial.

"Um… no." He replied. Alby gave him a pressuring look,

"Then what is it?" He snapped, growing steadily impatient with Clint's constant stalling.

"Well… this is only _my _opinion and… even I don't think it's right." He began before taking a small breath and resting his sweaty hands on his knees. "Minho has hidden himself away in his room and when he's not there he's with Gen." Looking up, Clint's eyes met with Alby's, "He doesn't eat, _barely _talks and well… the way he grabbed Newt before… I thought he was gonna kill him." Alby gave a small nod, his eyes not leaving Clint's once, "Well… in my opinion… I'd say he's heartbroken but he's ah… well... he's Minho." Sitting back, Alby exhaled loudly,

"I figured as much." He muttered, "I've had Newt sulking for the past three days, I figured Minho would be just as... upset." He said, "However, Newt has still been doing his duty around the Glade whereas Minho has neglected his." Alby grumbled, sitting forward, "He's breaking the first rule."

"Just as Gally did." Clint said. It was daring and was enough to have him thrown into the Slammer. Clint didn't even _like _Minho that much, he was aggressive and snarky, but Gen was good for him. She balanced him and even made him slightly bearable. She was good for Newt too... but Minho was good for Gen too. He challenged her, got her out of her comfort zone.

"Then what do you suggest I do. I aint gonna let him break the rules without punishment." Alby said with a frown.

"Isn't the possibility of Gen dying enough?" Clint asked lightly, "I know you lost someone. I know Gally lost Irene. Just because Gen doesn't have a distinct tie to Minho or Newt doesn't make the pain any less real." Clint spoke as though he knew from experience, when really he was just talking. He didn't have time to try and think of anything else to say. Alby was like Minho in the sense that he was stubborn.

"Fine." Alby nodded. Waiting for him expand, Clint shifted uncomfortably as the silence lingered around them before Alby once again made eye contact with him, "You can go now, shank." He snapped. Never before had Clint moved so quickly, darting towards the exit as if the place was on fire. As soon as he was out of Alby's hut, Clint gave out a sigh at the thought of having to return to Gen. Now that Newt had started things, he was certain that Minho would be more painful to deal with than before.


	45. The Changing

She was back in the Maze. Back in Hell. Placing on foot in front of the other, Gen kept running, her eyes fixated straight ahead of her. She could feel the blood running down the right side of her face and her right shoulder where the Griever had attacked her. Behind her, she heard the clicking and whirring of the creature, it was directly behind her, if she slowed her pace, she would be dead. The pain in her shoulder was near unbearable, but Gen had to keep running, her life depended on it. Turning around the sharp corner and into another long corridor, everything black and with that, the clicking and whirring stopped completely. Looking over her shoulder, Gen saw nothing but darkness.

"...the hell..?" She murmured to herself, looking around the pitch black she had ran into. The pain in her shoulder had disappeared completely, but it was too dark for her to see if it was still bleeding or not.

"Gen...? Gen, is that you?" A voice called from the darkness,

"Newt?" She called back, moving towards where the voice had come from,

"Oi! Over here! Gen! Quickly!" Spinning on her heel, Gen froze,

"Chuck? Chuck, where are you!" Running blindly into the darkness, Gen continued to call out for Chuck, but he gave no reply. "Chuck! Chuck!? Where are you?"

"Chuck isn't here..." Turning around, Gen found herself inside of her hut, staring into Newt's eyes. "What's wrong with you?" He smirked, brushing his fingertips along her cheekbone, "Look like you've seen a buggin' ghost or something." Newt chuckled lightly to himself. Gen took a step back,

"Newt? How did I get here? What's going on?" Gen rushed, looking down at her clothes, she found that the wound on her shoulder had disappeared completely, as if it had never existed in the first place. Placing both of his hands on her shoulders, Newt flashed her a reassuring smile,

"You look bloody exhausted, I'll give ya that." Newt said, "Having to patch up that shuck, Gally." He smirked. Staring past him, Gen set her eyes onto her hammock, it was softly swinging and was more welcoming to her than ever.

"Yeah." She nodded, allowing her gaze to once again meet with Newt's, "I think I am a little." She agreed, she didn't remember seeing Gally, or anything about her day. "Wait, what happened to Gally?" She asked with a frown,

"Don't you remember? He got into a fight with Minho. You had to patch the shank up." Newt replied as he placed his hands comfortably onto either side of her waist and tilted his head. He was standing close to her, their bodies almost touching. It was something Gen had never experienced with Newt before and something she had never expected she would.

"Minho?" Gen breathed, averting her eyes from his, "I thought the first rule was not to hurt another Glader?" She asked, she could feel Newt's breath on her face as she spoke, but still, Gen refused to look him in the eye.

"That's why he's in the bloody Slammer, love." Flicking her eyes up to meet Newt's once more, Gen's brow furrowed. Not once had Newt called her 'love'. Leaning towards her, Gen felt Newt's hands move upwards to her face, cupping either side of it as he pressed his lips against hers, softly as first. They were warm and gentle and something inside of Gen fluttered as their lips pulled apart for only a second before Newt once again pressed them against hers with much more force than the first as he pulled her closer towards him. Gen was frozen, her eyes widen with confusion and shock as Newt pulled back and their eyes met once more,

"What?" He questioned, frowning slightly.

"What do you mean 'what'?" Gen snapped back, moving out of Newt's hold and towards the door. She didn't understand his behaviour. Why he had kissed her. Sure, he had kissed her once. But that was nothing like the kiss she had experienced with him only moments ago. Turning away from him, she faced the door, her eyes focused on it.

"What has gotten into you?" Newt grumbled, moving up behind her and wrapping his arms around her waist. Gen didn't move, she concentrated on the door. "You know that I bloody love you... don't you?" Gen said nothing, her eyes falling to her feet. Did he love her? Did she love him?

"Gen! Gen, please help me!" It was Minho's voice that rang in her ears. Trying to move forward, Gen's lips parted,

"Minho!?" She cried, trying to reach for the door only to be pulled back by Newt who held her tightly,

"Don't go out there." He warned her, his breath tickling her neck as he spoke. "Stay with me." He whispered, his lips moving up to her ear, "Stay with me, Gen." Gen closed her eyes. Deep down, there was a part of her that wanted to stay. That wanted to stay him him. But... he wasn't the Newt she knew. Newt would have never left a friend he knew was in danger... No matter how much she wanted to stay, Gen couldn't and would never leave Minho behind.

"Newt..." She whispered back turning around in her hold to face him. His brow was still furrowed as he watched her and in some ways it saddened her. But, Gen knew, he would be fine without her. He didn't really love her. Not really. Placing her hand against his cheek, she flashed him a small smile, "I'm sorry." Shoving him away from her, Gen sprinted towards the door and opened it, once again moving into the pitch black.

"Gen! I'm over here! Where are you going?"

"Minho?" Taking a breath, Gen shut her eyes, Minho was everywhere and nowhere at once.

"Gen! Why'd you leave me? Why did you bloody leave me?" Newt's voice reached her ears, but Gen kept walking through the black, she had to find Minho and Chuck while she was at it. They needed her more than Newt did, "Gen! Don't leave me behind! Come back, please don't go!" Newt was screaming... no, he was sobbing in her head. Begging for her to come back. His cries were then joined by both Minho and Chuck, all crying out to her, telling her to choose. Covering her head, Gen tightly shut her eyes,

"Shut up... Shut up... Shut up!" She screamed as loud as she could, her eyes opening once more. Bringing her hands away from her ears, the screaming at stopped and instead was replaced with an eerie silence that seemed far worse than the screams. Once again, she found herself once again inside of the Maze. It seemed peaceful. Quiet. As if the Maze was attempting to lure her into a false sense of security. Moving down the corridor, Gen held her breath, everything was too quiet for her liking. Hearing someone clear their throat, Gen's eyes shot up and set once again onto Newt. She knew it was him by his hair and height, but he looked too dirty and too ragged to be Newt.

"Newt?" She called hesitantly, "What are you doing inside of the maze?" She asked. Snapping his head around to look at her from where he stood at the other end of the corridor, Gen gasped at the sight of him. Newt's face looked nothing like the face she had seen inside of the hut only moments ago. The Newt that stood at the end of the corridor had hollowed cheeks, pale skin with dark circles under both eyes as if he had been running the maze for days on end. As she slowly moved towards him, Newt didn't move once, he simply stared at her like she was a stranger, "Newt?" She called once more,

"Gen. Stay away from him! He's dangerous!" Looking over her shoulder, Gen set her eyes onto Minho, who was running towards her, "What are you doing in the Maze?" He questioned, stopping beside her and grabbing both of her shoulders harshly. "Answer me!" He cried, shaking her in his hold. Gen said nothing, shoving Minho off of her and turning her attention back to Newt. He was much closer, only a couple metres in front of her, facing her completely and still staring at her. "We have to go, girly." Minho hissed beside her, grabbing her bicep and attempting to pull her away, but Gen stood her ground.

"Newt? Can you hear me?" She called, taking a step towards him.

"Gen? Gen, stay away from him." Ignoring Minho completely, Gen continued to move towards Newt, who was still.

"Newt. Look at me." She breathed, "Just really look at me!" She felt as though she was talking to a monster. Stopping just in front of him, Newt tilted his head,

"You did this to me..." He whispered, his hand shooting towards her and wrapping around her throat, "You left me behind to die." He hissed. Gen said nothing, her eyes staring into his and in that moment, Peter's words rang in her head '_slay your demons when you're awake so they won't be there when you sleep_'. Gen had many demons, but Newt wasn't one of them. "I need you, Newt." She told him, ignoring the pain that came from the grip around her throat, "I'll always need you. I won't leave you behind again... but I need to look after myself too." Seeing his brow furrow, Newt quickly let her go and as Gen spun on her heel she moved back towards Minho, who outstretched his hand.

"Let's get back." He smirked. As Gen reached Minho, she took his hand without hesitation and started to walk away from Newt, clinging to Minho's hand for life.

"Don't walk away from me, Gen!" Newt's voice rang in her ears,

"Don't look at him." Minho whispered, comforting her by giving her hand a quick squeeze. But, Gen couldn't help it, looking over her shoulder, she saw something that chilled her to the bone, behind her, Newt was dead. Lying on the Maze ground, covered in blood like he had been ripped to shreds. She had turned her back on him and he was dead, the rotting smell of dead flesh filled her nostrils, making her want to throw up, but not once did she let go of Minho's hand. "Look away, Gen. Look away and it all ends." Gen's gaze was fixated onto Newt's corpse, guilt filling her very being. But, she trusted Minho. She trusted him with her life. Forcing herself to look away from Newt, everything went black and as her eyes fluttered open, she gave out a high pitched scream that echoed around her. Her entire body felt as though it was on fire.

**A/N: So, this is kinda my take on the Changing. I am so sorry if it is super confusing. Just to clarify though, my aim wasn't to imply a certain ship, although the kiss was kinda fun to write XD But I was mostly wanting to reference to the third book (My apologies those who have not read the series. I promise no spoilers) with the whole Newt thing (Hint, hint) and also how Gen feels responsible for Newt and in a way, feels like she has 'failed him' by generally leaving him to chase after Minho. Anywho, pretty much, it was supposed to be Newt who was keeping her in the comatose state and Minho who got her out of it, due to being the more protective of the pair and feeling responsible for her whereas Gen feels responsible for Newt. Sorry for the babbling. Just felt as though I had to explain. Love you guys! xx**


	46. Tragic Love Stories have Tragic Endings

Peter was silent as he moved down the clean hallway that leaded him away from Chancellor Paige's office. He had no choice but to tell her that he had lost connection with Genevieve. Yes, she was more than a little pissed that he had basically spilled the beans about him being more than just a dream... even if Genevieve already knew it was something more. But, Peter couldn't bare the torture any longer. For weeks he had been telling her who to trust, what to do. But had she listened? No. She was a stubborn girl... just like her mother. Pushing open the glass doors that led into the main research facility that was headed by Peter himself, he completely ignored the idiots in white lab coats, all running towards him and telling him that Genevieve had awaken. He knew that. He wasn't stupid. Her waking was the main reason he had stopped stalling and told the chancellor. Although, he much preferred to deal with her than Assistant Director, Janson. As he moved further into the room, Peter's cold eyes were focused onto one, singular individual: A woman. She didn't turn to look at him as he approached her, instead, her gaze was locked onto a screen that was watching the Glade through the eyes of a Beetle Blade. She was beautiful. The woman was around his age with long, dark brown hair that was nearly always tied back into a tight ponytail with brown eyes to match. She very rarely spoke to him. In fact, she very rarely spoke to anyone. She lived for her job and in many ways, it was all she had after the death of her husband. The man Peter hated with all his being and, not that he would ever admit it; the man Peter had much joy in watching die.

"Lexi." He greeted her with a warm smile. Of course, she refused to look at him... something about the sight of him making her sick. But, he didn't care, so it didn't matter, "How did Genevieve handle the Changing?" There was silence. He hated silence. Slamming his hand onto the desk beside her, he watched as the woman he once loved flinched and reluctantly turned her attention towards him.

"Genevieve..." She began through gritted teeth, "Is fine. She survived." Just like the other subjects, Genevieve wasn't the name she was born with. In fact, it was Peter who chose her name... she was named after the Saint Genevieve. It was a rather ironic name the more he thought about it. Taking a breath, Peter dragged a chair towards him, purposefully being sure it made a loud scrapping noise across the cement floor as he did so, before he sat. He had saved Lexi's life as well as the life of her daughter and what thanks did Peter get? Nothing. Not from Lexi. Not from Genevieve. He. Received. Nothing.

"And... what does she remember?" Peter asked, his eyes locked onto her pale face; fear etched over it as if he himself were a venomous snake. She frequently told him how much she hated him. How she'd rather death than his company. But, Lexi held on for Genevieve, nothing more and Peter knew that should Genevieve die, he would lose Lexi. Which was why Peter had to fight to ensure she survived the trials.

"You." Lexi spat, turning her head around to look at him, "She remembers what you did to us." Smiling softly, Peter averted his eyes and allowed them to fall to his lap,

"What else?" There was something he had to ask. Something the Chancellor had asked him to check on. "And don't bother telling me that she saw a glimpse of Thomas. We've already been through that with other subjects if you remember."

"What are you asking me?" Lexi asked. She knew better than any what he was asking. It was the only thing Peter _would _ask about. Yes, Genevieve was his subject, but his work was finished the moment she entered the trials. But, there was one thing he had to prevent.

"Does she... remember Subject A5?" He asked, his tone had lost it's mocking, condescending tone for only a mere second. It was an important question and Lexi knew it as well.

"Newt?" She asked softly. Peter shrugged his shoulders, he didn't care about their names.

"Funny looking blonde with the limp. That's him." He nodded, earning a glare from Lexi.

"No." She replied shortly. Giving a small nod, Peter rose. That was all he needed to know. "But, she will eventually. Why hold out?" Lexi asked. Looking down at her, Peter raised his eyebrow,

"You really want to have your own daughter go through that kind of pain?" He asked. Lexi averted her eyes,

"She has a right to remember who she is... where she came from... who she loved."

"So what? She remembers her tragic love story with subject A5. She chooses him and everything becomes all rainbows and unicorns. Then what? What happens when the inevitable happens?" He asked. Repeating a... variation of Assistant Director Janson's original argument against placing Genevieve in Group A rather than Group B, where she belonged according to him. Lexi was silent and Peter knew that she knew he was right. And by that, she knew Janson was right... no matter how big of a douchebag he was. Turning on his heel, Peter didn't look back at Lexi as he moved from the facility. He had gathered the information he needed. Genevieve belonged with Minho, no matter ho much he disliked the kid. Newt was collateral damage. Nothing more. Nothing less. As he moved towards the door, Peter couldn't help but steal a glance back at the brunette woman that her face covered with her hands, her shoulder heaving. Everything he did, he did to ensure her safety... It was for his own selfish needs, but as long as she was alive and safe, he didn't care what he had to do. Even if it meant putting her own daughter through hell. So long as she was alive, it didn't matter what he did.

**A/N: I know this is short :P My bad, but I wanted to reveal a few more things from Gen's past. So... this was a bit of a bomb shell wasn't it? It was subtle... kinda. But, I hope you guys caught on :P I don't trust my ability to properly be concise :P Remember, reviews are the best and also, the next chapter will start as Gen is waking up. So, hopefully that isn't confusing. 3 **


	47. Wake Up

Her eyes were wide, she was awake. She knew that. But, Gen couldn't stop screaming in pure terror as someone wrapped their arms around her, softly patting her head and whispering words of comfort she couldn't hear.

"He's dead. He's dead, I should have helped him! I should have done something!" Gen found herself to be sobbing, although no tears fell from her dry eyes. The guilt was overwhelming. She didn't understand it. It was a dream. No, a nightmare. Clinging to the figure that held her tightly, Gen refused to allow herself to close her eyes out of fear of seeing Newt's mangled corpse once more- an image she was certain would be imprinted in her mind.

"Gen! Stop screaming. It's okay! Who's dead?" As soon as the voice reached her ears, Gen stopped screaming and stilled, burring herself into the chest of the boy she believed to be dead.

"You." She replied weakly, in no more than a whisper that seem to hurt her throat more than screaming. Pulling herself away from Newt, Gen forced herself to sit up, breathing in the familiar scent of sweat and dust. She was back, she had survived the Changing. Turning her attention to Newt, Gen bit her lip, "You died." She clarified, causing the honey-blonde that lay beside her on her 'sick bed' to raise an eye-brow,

"Well, isn't that a bloody bummer." He grinned, "Although, I feel pretty lively for a dead guy." He confessed, causing Gen to laugh lightly, although it sounded fake. Looking down at her sweat covered clothes, Gen frowned slightly,

"How long have I been like this?" She asked. Newt shifted from the bed and moved across the wooden floorboards towards the open doorway before he stopped and turned his head around to look at her,

"About four and a half bloody days." He smiled before popping his head out of the doorway, "Clint! She's awake!" He cried before turning to face her. "Clint's been bloody worried about you, shank." He informed her. Gen stared at him, raising her eyebrow slightly before she nodded and averted her eyes from his. She remember the first time she had encountered him while going through the Changing, and since remembering that, Gen found it hard to look Newt in the eye. As Clint rushed into the room, he was followed by Jeff, Chuck, Alby, Gally and a reluctant, Minho, who followed the crowd at a short distance and leaning against the doorframe while the others gathered around her bed, staring at her like she was moments away from death. Looking past them, Gen's eyes on Minho, she wasn't stupid. She knew guilt when she saw it and guilt was written all over the dark haired boy's face as his words echoed in her head:

'..._Run the maze with me. If anything bad happens, I promise I'll let you live your life. I won't bother you anymore. __Then you and Newt can live your happy little romance.__'_

Something bad did happen, which meant that Minho was supposed to leave her alone, but Gen couldn't think of anything she wanted less than to not have Minho in her life. As much of a pain as he was, she needed him. She needed Newt too. Just as she needed Clint, Jeff and Chuck.

"How're you feeling, Gen?" Chuck piped up, grinning down at her. Gen flashed him a warm smile, grateful that he was no longer screaming for help.

"Great." She replied shortly, "But, can you all stop staring at me?" She asked, looking around at the group that all awkwardly shifted their gaze,

"We're glad you're back, Gen." Alby smirked, leaning on the frame of the bed, beside Newt who had his arms crossed over his chest.

"Glad to be back." Gen retorted, "Anything is better than what I just went through." She muttered more to herself than anything else. Hearing a small chuckle from Gally, Gen then remembered that he too had gone through the Changing and would probably be the best person to speak to about her experiences... even if he was a complete shuck. Looking around at the faces around her once more, Gen slipped off of her bed, ignoring Clint's protests that she should rest,

"She's had enough rest." Gally snapped, silencing Clint immediately,

"Hate to say it, but I think Gally's right." Newt agreed with a reluctant nod of his head. Running her hands through her greasy hair, Gen grimaced, she wanted nothing more than to be cleaned up and then do something. Anything. Anything that would take her mind off of the surreal reality she lived inside of her head.

"I'm going to get cleaned up. Don't wait up." She informed them before she pushed past Minho and jogged down the staircase. She could hear Newt jogging after her along with the others, all calling her name and telling her to slow down. But, Gen had to get out of the hut. She felt as though she couldn't breathe, that she was suffocating in the thick air around her.

"Gen. Slow down. You're going to bloody well trip." Newt scowled once more, jogging beside her and grabbing onto Gen's arm to steady her. Gen didn't look at him and as she blinked, his blood soaked corpse popped back into her head.

"I'm fine." She murmured, her eyes locked down at her shoes, "I need to clean up. I'm fine, you can let me go." She informed the blonde that didn't reply nor leave her side. Taking a breath, Gen stood upright, staring straight ahead as she moved towards the doorway and into the bright, blinding sunlight of the Glade. Using her hand to shield her eyes from the harsh light, Gen staggered towards the showers. Her head was spinning and she could hear a loud ringing sound that only made her head ache. She wasn't sure whether or not she was going to throw up or pass out, but either option seemed better than the loud ringing. Closing her eyes, the Maze entered her mind, along with it a high pitched scream that caused her eyes to shoot back open and her hands to cover her ears as she sunk to the ground. The ringing was growing louder and louder and as she tightly shut her eyes, the ringing transformed into the clicking and whirring sound of a Griever. Her heart was racing and she felt a cold shiver run up her spine, but Gen didn't open her eyes. Instead, she continued to re-live the fear and horror of the Changing.

"Gen! Gen, listen to me. Bloody listen to me!" Newt's voice rang in her ears, temporarily putting an end to the clicking and whirring from the Griever. But Gen didn't open her eyes. She simply trembled, her hands still covering her ears and her eyes firmly shut. "Open your eyes, Gen. I'm not dead. Just look at me. I'm standing bloody in front of you." Taking a breath, Gen opened her eyes and found them staring into Newt's. Everything had stopped, the clicking... the whirring... even the ringing had ceased.

"You can't die, Newt." She told him, allowing her hands to slip from her ears and fall beside her. "You may not care about getting hurt. But... if you die on me..." She began, her eyes locked onto Newt's, "I don't know what I'll do. Like... I will literally go out of my shucking mind if I lose you." She confessed, making sure he understood her every word. Newt smiled softly,

"I won't die on you, shank." He smiled, placing a comforting hand on her cheek, "I promise." Giving him a steady nod, Gen grabbed onto Newt's arms, her eyes falling from his as he helped her to stand.

"The way you're going, it's gonna take you all bloody day to get to the showers." A gruff, familiar voice spoke, scooping Gen into his arms like she was a feather. Gripping onto Gally's shoulders of all people, Gen's stared at Newt with an alarmed look,

"Hey, Gally." Newt greeted, placing his hands on his hips. Gen's eyes shifted from Newt to the larger boy who was staring at Newt,

"What? Don't give me that look, Newt." He muttered, "I'm not wanna throw up watching you and Gen have some pathetic romantic moment." He spat, causing Newt to sigh,

"You've got me." He mocked, "I just can't hide anything from you can I, Gally?" He said, flashing him the cheesiest grin possible. Smiling softly, Gen's eyes scoped the area for Minho, but he was nowhere to be found. As Gally began to carry her towards the showers, Gen began to feel more and more uneasy. She wasn't stupid, she knew exactly why Gally was 'helping' her and for one, it wasn't out of the goodness of his heart. Gally had also survived the Changing and she imagined he saw many things that haunted him. But, Gen was't prepared to share anything until she had showered. _That, _she was certain of.


	48. Past Vs Future

She was in Gally's hut. Gen was in _Gally's _hut. It was probably the most terrifying thing she had ever experienced in her entire life in the Glade... after the Changing that was. Sitting across from Gally, who watched her with a serious expression, Gen kept eye-contact with him, trying to show that she wasn't scared of him. Why would she be scared of Gally? He was like a big teddy bear with mean looking eyebrows. Gen was pretty sure his eyebrows were frozen to make him look like he was annoyed twenty-four hours a day.

"So..." Gen began lightly, tapping her hands against the rickety table as her gaze flickered around the messy hut.

"What'd you see?" Gally spat. Snapping her head around to look at him, Gen raised her eyebrow,

"That's it? No, 'Hey Gen, thought you were gonna die, so pleased you're not'. Like... really?" Shifting in his chair, Gally forced a small smile,

"My name's not Newt." He retorted. Gen rolled her eyes,

"Newt doesn't even sound anything like that." She protested.

"Yeah, well. Minho's too stubborn to admit to anything." Gally replied, "You picked a bad boyfriend if you ask me."

"Good thing I'm not asking you." Gen smiled back at him, causing Gally to shoot her a glare, "As for what I saw? The Maze. Grievers. A few old memories here and there. According to the stories that's nothing special." Gen shrugged, "Can I go now?"

"No." Gally replied instantly before he leant forward and placed both hands onto the table, "They say... or well... back before you showed up, another guy got stung... he obviously didn't make it, but before he died, he told me about what _he _saw. A few months later, I was stung and I had the same thing. So you can't lie to me." Gally spat. Gen shifted lightly,

"Then be specific." She snapped back at him.

"Eric told me that it was all in phases. To start with, he saw someone he cared about, someone who he missed... his mother." Gally told her, "She kept telling him to stay with her, to not leave her. But... he ended up leaving her because he could hear Alby yellin' out for help. They were good friends apparently. I figure you would've seen something like that" Gally nodded. Gen felt herself freeze. That was exactly what she saw. Just not with her mother and Alby.

"You first."

"What?"

"You tell me who you saw. I'll tell you who I saw." Gen said, her tone suggesting to the builder that she wasn't fooling around.

"Fine." Gally nodded sitting back, "Irene held me back and Alby got me out." he answered. Gen gave a short nod, Irene was dead. That much she knew and judging by Gally's tone, she was dead when he went through the Changing. But Newt wasn't dead.

"Okay." Gen nodded, "It was Newt who held me back and Minho who got me out." Raising an eyebrow, Gally scoffed,

"You're joking."

"Do I look like I'm joking?" Gen snapped back at him. Gally grinned,

"Well look at that. Looks like Newt and you shared something before the Glade." He smirked. Gen scoffed,

"How would you know anything?" She hissed. Gally leant forward, a mocking expression on his face,

"You don't get it do you? It's your past verses your future. Obviously, Newt meant something to you before the Glade and probably still does. As for Minho getting you out? No surprise there. You two are the banner kids for heartbreak and romance." He smirked.

"Again... what would you know? Plus, you also say that about Newt and I." Gen was growing steadily impatient with the boy who seemed to be enjoying himself,

"Newt? Please. I've known Minho for two years." Gally said, "He's a pain in the ass, shuck of a guy... 'Cept around you. Around you he seems bearable. Less angry." Gen averted her eyes, anyone who knew Minho for even a day knew that he was filled with rage. He was a hot head and arrogant and in many ways was incredibly selfish. Yet, he was Minho. He was the one person that could make Gen smile when her whole world was crumbling around her. He was... hers.

"Look. I have to go." Gen told Gally, who raised both of his eyebrows in question.

"Why?"

"None of your business. I told you what I saw." She snapped before she ran out of the door and back into the much more bearable sunlight. Looking around, her eyes fell onto the faces of pretty much every Glader but the one she was looking for. The ringing had started again, it was as if she had a thousand voices all screaming in her head. As her heart continued to race, Gen focused on walking. '_I am not in the Maze. I'm awake. This isn't a nightmare. I'm awake._' She told herself over and over inside her head.

"Gen?" Spinning around, Gen slammed her back into the wall of one of the huts, her heart racing faster than before as her wide eyes fell onto Chuck. Taking a calming breath, she forced a smile,

"Chuck. Shouldn't sneak up on me like that." She breathed, "What're you doing here?" She asked, looking around at the opened door behind the young, chubby boy.

"I wanted to see how you were." He smiled. Gen's stomach turned, she felt like she was going to die.

"I'm fine. Pretty great actually. Never knew how much I loved showers" She said stifling a small, fake laugh. Chuck smiled,

"So what was the Changing like?" He asked curiously, clearly having no understanding about taboo topics.

"Like... I don't know." Gen shrugged, "It's hard to explain."

"Clint said you said my name when you were asleep." Chuck grinned, "Were you dreaming of me?" Staring at him, Gen raised her eyebrow,

"Yeah, dreaming that you were calling out for me because someone was hurting you." She scoffed. The boy brought a smile to Gen's face as he grinned broadly,

"Don't worry, I still think you'd probably be able to save me if I were really in danger."

"Either that or I'd die trying." Gen agreed with a light smile. Leaning towards her, Chuck gestured for her to come closer,

"Also, and you didn't hear this from me... apparently Minho's pissed cause you kept saying Newt's name in your sleep." Leaning back, Gen snorted,

"How would he even know that? Minho runs the Maze everyday and then pretty much collapses in his hut and snores for the night." She said. Chuck shook his head,

"No... Minho hasn't run the Maze since you guys did and you were stung." Chuck said. Gen frowned lightly,

"Then... what's he been doing?" Gen asked.

"Uh... mostly been in special Runner's hut... or his hut... or sitting with you and annoying Clint." He said, counting each thing off on his hand.

"Well, do you know if he's running the Maze any time soon?" She asked,

"Yeah. Tomorrow." He nodded, "He and Ben." Nodding, Gen pushed herself from the wall and continued to walk. She had to find Minho. "Where are you going?" Chuck asked,

"I'm gonna go find that shuck, Minho." She retorted with a shrug of her shoulders. Chuck was close at her heels as she moved across the open space towards the 'special runners hut' as Chuck had called it. Anyone who wasn't a runner was forbidden from entering, but did Gen care? No. No she did not. Chuck stuck close to her as she moved through the Glade, many of the boys either staring at her or complimenting her on surviving the Changing. Much to Chuck's joy, Gally was nowhere in sight. He seemed quite nervous which only made Gen suspect he had a prank planned for him.

"Wait, are you mad at him? Why do we have to see him?" Chuck whined.

"I kinda owe him." Gen replied stiffly, "He was the one who saved me when I was in the Changing... or well... Dream version of Minho did." Chuck nodded slowly,

"So... you're going to thank him for something that he did inside of your head?" Chuck asked. There was a slight pause. It really did sound stupid when it was put so simply,

"Shut up, Chuck." She snapped, earning a grin of triumph from the boy.

"Well, Sir Grumpy Shuck should be in there." Chuck said, pointing towards the Runner's hut.

"Sir Grumpy Shuck?" Gen questioned,

"Yep."

"Okay..." Gen mumbled, turning her attention to the hut, "Well, guess I'll catch you around, Chuck." She smiled. The boy gave her a quick nod before he turned on his heel and moved back the way the pair had come from, leaving Gen and her constant feeling of being close to death, alone.

Picking up her pace, Gen jogged towards the hut, she wasn't even sure if she was going to be able to get in. But, it was worth a shot. After the way Minho had acted when she woke, she wouldn't be surprised if he was avoiding her. Stopping in front of the door, Gen slowly and steadily pushed it open. Standing over a large table was the dark haired runner himself, wearing his signature blue shirt. He had not noticed her yet, but as she moved into the room, he stood upright,

"Ben, what took you so shucking- Gen?" Turning to face her, Minho raised his eyebrow, "You're not supposed to be here." He told her, placing his hands on his hips. Gen was silent, instead, she continued to move towards him, before she quickly wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him close to her. He was covered in sweat and she could hear his heart racing, but she didn't care. She missed him and he had been the one who saved her, who had always saved her.

"Hey, Minho" She smiled softly. Minho was stiff and in complete shock at the out of the blue hug, but Gen didn't expect him to hug her back in the first place. She just wanted him to know that things between them were okay. Pulling back however, Gen was surprised that Minho quickly wrapped his arms around her and pulled her back into the hug. Gen felt as if she were going to be crushed by the hug, but happily wrapped her arms back around him,

"Missed me?" She smiled. Minho paused,

"Nope." He replied before he finally released her and pulled back,

"Not even a little?" She asked. Minho forced a smile,

"Maybe a little, shank." He nodded before he placed his hands on his hips, "So you survived the Changing? Keep it that way." Gen gave a stiff nod,

"Sure... I'll do my best." She said lightly. Turning on his heel, Minho started to walk back to the table, his hands placed securely on top of his head, "Minho?" Stopping, Minho turned back around to face her, his eyebrows raised in question,

"I forgive you." As the words left her mouth. Minho's brow furrowed,

"Why?"

"Why what?" Gen asked,

"Why do you forgive me? I made you run the Maze. You were stung because of me."

"And I forgive you." She nodded, "Honestly, Minho. I forgive you." Minho stared at her before he shrugged his shoulders and moved towards her,

"Well, that's really dumb of you." He told her, stopping only a few centimetres from where she stood, his arms crossed over his chest.

"Well, I think it's dumb of you to think I could possibly hate you." She retorted, crossing her arms over her own chest and looking Minho dead in the eye as she spoke.

"Can I ask you something?" Minho asked lightly, Gen shrugged her shoulders,

"What?"

"Do you and Newt have something?" His question was simple, yet understandable. It required no more than a yes or no answer. But, Gen was lost for words, like they were stuck in her throat,

"I... I don't think so. I mean... everyone thinks we do and well, people think even _we _have a thing. But, I just... I have no idea, honestly. I am pretty sure we're just friends." She stammered. Minho smirked,

"I wasn't even listening to half of that." He said, "But, if you and he _do _have something. I don't care." He shrugged, "Not my problem."

"Why would it be your problem?" Gen asked lightly,

"Because I've had Gally and Chuck telling just how much I'm in love with you and blah, blah, blah. Stupid shucks." He grumbled. Gen nodded slowly,

"There's nothing. I'm here to survive. Not fall in love with someone who could die the next day." She argued.

"Why would Newt die?" Minho frowned,

"I don't know. People die. That's just the way it is." Gen shrugged.

"So, what you're saying is. You'll only be with someone if they're immortal?" Minho asked with a small grin,

"What? No. That's not what I'm saying." Gen snapped back at him, shoving him lightly.

"You just said you won't fall in love with someone who could die. Everyone dies, girly." Minho shrugged, "You could die at any time." Placing her hands on her hips, Gen smiled,

"Thanks Minho. That's exactly what I needed to hear." Giving out a sigh, Minho rolled his eyes,

"I was just telling you the truth."

"Why do you always have to have the last word?" Gen asked curiously, her eyes narrowing in frustration. She didn't visit him to argue. She only wanted to tell him that things were fine between them. But, it just ended with aggression and frustration between the two stubborn Gladers. Leaning forward, Minho took her face in his hands and brought it towards his, so that they were only a few centimetres apart,

"Because." He muttered before he pressed his lips against hers. It was just like when they were in the Maze, except, it wasn't in her head. His lips were rough and aggressive, like he knew that it was his only chance at kissing Gen and the only kiss he would ever share with her. Gen was still, her hands left dangling helplessly at her side. Pulling back, Minho's eyes fell to his feet as he took a few steps back away from her and turned back to the table. "You should go." He told her. Gen said nothing, she could feel Minho on her lips and as she turned away from him, her hand quickly shot up to gently touch them. Minho had kissed her. _Minho _had kissed her. Looking over her shoulder at the dark haired boy, she took a shaky breath as she moved out of the Runner's hut. The ringing in her head had stopped.

**A/N: So this is the second chapter I have posted today. I'm on a roll. This chapter is just for the Minhovieve fans. It has been something I have been working towards for quite some time, but it is quite difficult I find to write a chapter like this with Minho's stubborn and aggressive personality and I am quite the fan of trying to keep characters very close or as close as possible to the original versions of them by the author (James Dashner who is a god) It is a long chapter and I hope I get a couple of long-ish review considering I covered a lot of ground :P Sorry guys.**

**Anyway, I think it's time to bring in Thomas. Don't you? **


	49. Screaming Always Screaming

The Maze was long and haunting, it had no end. There was no escape. Only death. Gen kept on running, one foot in front of the other. She refused to give in. To allow herself to meet such a horrible end. The clicking and whirring of the Grievers behind her was more home to her than silence. Her heart raced and every part of her body trembled with fear. '_I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I. Am. Going. To. Die.' _No other thought entered her mind as she came towards the end of the longest corridor she had ever ran before. She could make it. She could do it. It wouldn't be difficult, she just had to keep her pace up, keep on running. That was the key. Running was the key. As Gen reached the corner, she shut her eyes. Why? She didn't know. Turning the corner, she listened to the clicking and whirring growing louder... and louder... and louder... until it stopped. Opening her eyes, she found herself in a white room, it was a room she hadn't seen before, but at the same time, it felt so familiar. Instinctively, she continued to move into the room, her eyes looking around it.

"Gen?" Turning on her heel, she seemed to smile. In front of her was Newt, he wore a navy blue hooded jumper with dark jeans. He was clean and was grinning at her and as he moved towards her, she noticed that he no longer walked with a heavy limp.

"Newt." Gen replied without thinking, running into his arms and embracing him tightly, breathing in his scent. Every move she made seemed pre-determined. She wanted to ask him what was going on. What had happened to his limp. But, the words wouldn't come and instead, she was silent. Her entire focus was on holding onto Newt for as long as possible before he was taken away from her. Taken away? The thought seemed to echo in her head, it was her greatest concern and yet, she had no idea where he was being taken to, or even where they were. "I missed you." The words escaped her lips, but they were not her own. Pulling out of her hold, Newt cupped her face,

"I missed you too." Newt smiled, bringing his face to slowly meet hers, greeting her lips with a gentle kiss. One that left her wanting more. But, at the same time, it wasn't her. Newt wasn't anything like the boy before her, his gaze watching her like she was an angel. But, she was no angel. She had caused far more trouble than needed. Her entire time inside of the Glade, she had caused nothing but concern and frustration to Newt. She didn't deserve to even _know _him. But, she was in a dream. It had to be a dream. "Gen." Newt's tone was crisp and cold and Gen felt her stomach turn,

"They can't take you." Gen said, cutting him off completely, "I won't let them take you to that place." Gen could feel tears forming in her eyes, yet she didn't know why. Brushing away her tears, Newt placed his head down,

"We'll meet again inside the Maze." He assured her,

"But, you won't remember me." Gen sobbed as she felt herself being pulled towards Newt who stroked her hair,

"It'll be alright. Just don't bloody keep me waiting." He chuckled softly, Gen was destroyed, she felt as though her whole world had shattered and as she let out another sob, the room disappeared, taking Newt with it and she found herself face to face with a Griever.

"Wake up... wake up." Shutting her eyes, Gen pulled at her hair, trying to block out the clicking and whirring that haunted her, "Wake up!" Opening her eyes, Gen continued to scream, gripping at the covers and propping herself up. In an instant, Newt next to her in the hammock and was holding her,

"Hey! Stop it! You're okay! You're bloody fine!" He cried, his arms wrapped around her tightly despite her attempts to fight him off. "Gen, you're okay. You're fine." Letting out a small cry, Gen stopped screaming and instead simply cried in Newt's arms. She hated herself for being so weak, but she hated herself even more for dragging Newt into it. The real Newt that was. As the door swung open, Minho and Ben burst into the room, moving towards Gen and Newt,

"What happened?" Ben asked, looking from the trembling Gen to Newt,

"Bad dream." Newt told them. "Everything is fine." He assured them. Shifting her gaze up to look at Ben and Minho, Gen did nothing to stop the tears that rolled down her cheeks,

"You shouldn't be screaming like that, girly." Minho told her, "Someone might think you're in danger." Slipping out of Newt's grip, Gen sat up and wiped her cheeks before she slipped over Newt and stood,

"It was just a bad dream." She whispered, looking around the room to make sure that she wasn't stuck inside of another dream, "It was just a dream." She repeated, more to herself than to the three boys around her. Taking a step towards her, Minho placed a hand on her shoulder,

"Are you alright?" He asked, looking at him, Gen gave a nod,

"I'm fine." Gen lied, "You guys can go..." shaking off Minho's hand, Gen moved back towards Newt who sat upright in Gen's hammock, his eyes locked solely onto her.

"Alright. Chat later then." Minho grumbled before he and Ben took their leave.

"You wanna explain what that was bloody about?" Newt asked, his brow furrowed as he slipped from the hammock.

"It was a nightmare. That's all." She told him, moving towards her, Newt placed his hands on her shoulders, looking at her the same way he did in her head,

"You've had nightmares before... You've never woken up screaming before though. You were screaming after you woke from the bloody Changing too." He said. "You're not bloody okay... are you?" Newt asked. Gen stared at him before she shook her head,

"No." She confessed, "Newt, there's something I need to tell you." She felt as though she had to tell him about what Gally said, about her dreams. Raising his eyebrow, Newt crossed his arms, watching her with suspicion,

"What is it?" Opening her mouth, Gen tried to speak but she quickly shut it again. She had no right to concern Newt with something that she herself wasn't even sure of. Forcing a smile, Gen took a small breath,

"I really appreciate what you've done for me. You didn't have to help me the way you did. I really appreciate it. I appreciate you, Newt." She told him. Newt smiled,

"Well... not much I can do with you screaming beside me." Letting her head fall, Gen smiled softly. She would eventually tell Newt what was going on, but it would be a conversation for a later date when Gen knew herself what was going on.

"Thanks Newt." She smiled, moving past him and back towards the hammock. She could feel his eyes watching her, analysing her every move. He was someone who was difficult to fool. Just as Gen was about to slip back into the hammock, a distinct alarm set off, causing her to jump,

"What's that?" She cried, springing to her feet and looking to Newt who took her hand,

"It's fine. It's the box." He assured her, "We've got a new Greenie." He told her. Pulling her out of the hut, Gen didn't bother to fight against Newt who dragged her by her hand towards the mysterious box where a crowd had already gathered.

**A/N: Finally... we get baby Thomas. Yes! And I will warn you, things will be a tad bit different to the book/movie. For one, I may mix the two and secondly, I will add some of my own stuff. Just thought I would warn you guys :) **


	50. Dream or Reality?

The crowd grew larger as the alarm continued to ring. Newt and Gen had been standing in the crowd for at least an hour and a half and still, the box hadn't arrived. Crossing her arms over her chest, Gen turned her head to look to her blonde friend who's eyes never left the hole where the box would soon appear,

"What's taking so long?" She asked. Newt shrugged his shoulders,

"Not sure." He mumbled in reply. Looking around the crowd, Gen searched the faces that had gathered,

"Where's Clint and Jeff?" She asked, looking around the crowd. Following her gaze, Newt once again shrugged,

"Not sure." He said, "Why?" As her eyes flicked back to Newt, she gave a small smile,

"No reason. You meet the Greenie, I'll go see where they are." Gen said. Newt said nothing, instead he simply watched her with a cautious expression. "I'll catch you later then, Newt." She nodded, turning on her heel and moving back through the crowd. Newt didn't give a reply and as she looked back over her shoulder at him, she found that he hadn't looked back at her once. His gaze was locked onto the box. As she pushed through the crowd, Gen headed towards the Med-Jack hut, something was wrong. Very wrong. 

As Gen drew closer to the hut, she watched as Jeff rushed out of the door and ran towards her,

"Gen! We need you _now_" He rushed. Breaking into a sprint, Jeff followed him into the hut and up the stairs. Someone had been stung. That was the only reasonable explanation. It was just a matter of who, Ben or Minho.

"What's happened?" She asked. Jeff glanced quickly over his shoulder,

"Ben was stung. Minho brought him in about an hour ago." Jeff told him,

"That wasn't very long. They would have only just been inside the Maze" She stammered, "How is that possible?" Jeff shrugged,

"I don't know." He replied.

"Where's Minho?" She asked.

"He took another Runner and went back into the Maze. We have given Ben the serum, he should be fine." Jeff assured her. Bursting into the room, Gen laid her eyes onto the boy she had known quite well since she found herself in the Glade two months ago. He was a fighter and there was no way that Ben would die. It wasn't possible. Keeping her gaze set onto the boy, she watched with discomfort as the boy twisted and writhed on the bed, fighting against Clint's hold,

"Gen! Give me a hand!" Clint called. Running towards the bed, Gen pushed down on Ben's shoulders while Clint took his legs,

"Ben! Ben, listen to me. You need to concentrate." Gen cried, repeating Peter's words. She had no idea whether or not Ben would even hear her, but it was worth a shot. As Ben continued to kick and squirm against Gen and Clint's tight hold, he gave out a cry. Gen tried her best to block out the cries as time went by, she seemed to be holding the boy for an eternity. The alarm had stopped long ago, signalling that the new Greenie had arrived. But, Ben wouldn't still, he would not stop fighting against them and as Gen's arms began to ache, she tried to imagine the horror that he was seeing. She felt nothing but pity for the boy. Eventually, the kicking and screaming stopped and Ben stilled, his head falling back against the pillow. He was covered in sweat and although he was quiet, still tossed around on the bed. Sitting back, Gen wiped her brow before she placed her hand across Ben's forehead,

"He had a fever..." She mused, looking over to Jeff who had already rushed out of the room to get a damp cloth. "Clint. I think you need to take care of Ben." Gen said seriously, her eyes locked onto her friend, Ben, "The last person I dealt with who was stung was Adam and we both know what happened to him." Gen mumbled, "Ben is going to survive." As her gaze met Clint's once more, he gave a short nod before he turned his attention towards Ben. Gen had no idea how long she had been in the room, but judging by the sweat that covered both her and Clint, who was panting; it had been a long, long time.

"I heard you screaming this morning." Clint said, breaking the silence, "Night Terrors?" Gen gave a nod, averting her eyes from his,

"I won't lie." She mumbled, "Not to you at least." She added with a small smile, glancing towards Clint, she saw that he wore a serious expression,

"I imagine Newt is concerned." Clint said, "You know how he feels about you, don't you?"

"And how to I bloody feel, Clint?" Newt's voice snapped, causing Clint's eyes to widen and his gaze to shift past Gen and onto the blonde that stood behind her. Clint said nothing, his sight shifting back to Ben. Turning around slowly, her gaze met with Newt's,

"You seen Jeff?" She asked.

"I'm here." Jeff answered, pushing past Newt with the damp cloth. Watching Newt, Gen raised her eyebrow,

"Has the newbie showed?" She asked. Newt nodded,

"Yeah, some guy around our age. Alby is showing him around." He answered, "He bloody made a run for it... Almost thought he'd make a decent Runner... until he fell flat on his face" He smiled softly. Gen retuned a small smile,

"Maybe he will," She said, looking back to Ben, her smile faded, "Ben was stung." She mused, "We gave him the serum... he should be fine." The main question was, who Gen was trying to convince, Newt. Or herself. Ben was her friend. He was her friend and he was going to live.

"You should bloody eat something." Newt muttered, "Have a decent meal and then you can watch over him." Giving a small nod, Gen moved towards him, she was positive that nothing bad would happen to him while she was gone. She wouldn't be gone for very long.

"I'll be back Clint." She muttered, not looking back to address him as she moved down the staircase, she could hear Newt behind her, "What was Clint talking about?" Gen asked, her gaze locked ahead of her. Newt was silent, his uneven footsteps behind her, each one making her heart pound, "Newt?"

"I don't know." He replied softly, "Clint thinks he's the Glade shrink too." Newt smirked. Looking over her shoulder at him, Gen stopped at the bottom of the staircase, and turned to face him. She was confused. Minho had asked the question. Clint had implied the answer. Gally constantly mocked the answer. It seemed everyone had the same theory. Everyone by Gen.

"Newt... do we... do we have something?" She asked, her gaze fixated onto his. Newt stopped, his eyes looking to the ground before they flicked back to meet hers,

"What do you mean... something?" He asked. Gen swallowed, she sounded insane. She _was _insane. Newt had kissed her. Minho had kissed her. She was stupid to think they were just friends. She was to blame. She was too busy trying to survive. Trying to stop the screaming inside of her head that she didn't bother to understand or to realise who it was she so carelessly dragged through the flames with her.

"Do you remember inside of the hut... after you rocked the hammock and flipped it?" She asked, running a hand through her hair. She was so terrified of getting close to people, yet at the same time she hated being alone. Focusing on Newt, Gen allowed her hand to fall back to her side, clenching it to stop the violent trembling that was threatening to take control of her body,

"I kissed you and I bloody apologised." He retorted, his brow furrowed as he spoke,

"Why? Why did you do that?" Gen asked, "Why?"

"I don't know. I just... did." Newt replied, his eyes moving everywhere other than her face, "I don't see why it's such a big, bloody fuss." He mumbled. Gen stared at him,

"Because I let people down. I just do and I don't want to lie to you. If we have something... you need to tell me. Because... if we do... If we do have something. That's fine. I just don't want to lose you. Okay? I'll do whatever you want me to do, just as long as you stay and don't die and don't leave. Just... just stay here with me. We're a team." She rushed, "Aren't we?" Newt was speechless and had a look of confusion on his face,

"What?" He stammered, staring at her like she was completely insane. He was probably right, but Gen tried to push the thought from her mind,

"I don't know." She snapped, "I'm losing my mind and I can't afford to lose people." She groaned, placing her hands on top of her head, "I just want you to... I don't even know what I'm talking about." She sighed, turning away from him completely. Her head was pounding, she could _hear _her heartbeat, each distinct beat sending a wave of pain through her head. It was enough to make Gen believe she could throw up at any given time from the immense pain. Was she even awake? Was she even with Newt? The real Newt? Maybe he was just a dream. Taking a few steps forward, Gen stopped again, her head snapping around to look at Newt. He looked like the real Newt. Then again, so did the Newt she met in the Maze during the Changing.

"Gen...? What are you doing?" He frowned. Placing her hands around the collar of his shirt, she pulled him towards her, so their faces were only a few centimeters apart,

"Who are you? Did Peter send you?" She snarled.

"Who is Peter? What are you bloody going on about?" Newt cried, pushing her hands away from his shirt and placing his hands on her shoulders.

"Peter wants me to break. I kicked him out and this is his vengeance." Gen whispered to herself, "I broke the rules and now he's gonna make me pay. But... why you?" She asked, her eyes flicking back to stare into Newt's eyes, "Why does he make me dream of you?"

"You dream of me?" Newt asked. Averting her gaze, Gen looked around her, everything seemed real.

"Maybe we did have something... in a past life outside of the Maze... and that's why it's always you." Gen muttered, "But, not even you can be used against me." She hissed, pushing the fake Newt away from her and shifting backwards away from him until her back hit the wall. "Stay away from me and tell Peter if he wants me. He can jump inside the box and come get me himself." Gen closed her eyes, it was a nightmare she had to escape. "Wake up... wake up... wake up..." She muttered over and over, her hands moving up to grip at her hair. The pain wasn't different, usually it was different. Feeling Newt's warm hands against her cheeks, Gen's eyes shot open. Her back was still against the wall and Newt was in front of her, staring at her,

"You are awake. This is real." He told her, behind her, she caught sight of Clint who was watching her with a concerned look. Gen said nothing, her gaze shifting from the pair of them. "You're awake, remember. You woke up this morning and we went to see the Greenie. You're bloody awake." Gen continued to stare at the pair of them, Clint wore his signature, serious expression. She was sure it was a dream. How could she have been wrong?

"So it is." She mumbled, "Only the real Clint can make that face." She smiled weakly, looking up at the pair who didn't smile.

"How long has this been happening?" Clint asked as Newt moved back and away from her,

"The night terrors? Or the confusing dreams with reality." Gen smirked. "Or my apparently unfunny jokes? Cause that's only been recent." Furrowing his brow, Clint gave out a sigh,

"You sound like Minho..." He grumbled, "Go eat something and then come back, I'll sort you out while we watch over Ben." Giving a nod, Gen brushed down her clothing. She was fine. It was reasonable to get a little confused. It wasn't like she was seeing things... like Peter for one. She was absolutely fine. She just needed a little time to work herself out and then she would be fine.

"Okay, fine." She nodded, "Breakfast." She nodded, turning from the pair and moving towards the door, she could hear Newt behind her, "Breakfast with a crazy girl? Really?" She chuckled lightly. Newt wasn't as amused as she was, but he gave her a small smirk. As the pair reached the open space, Gen's eyes fell onto the Greenie, or... the back of his head. He was of an average height and had dark hair. Beside him was Chuck, chatting away. It was nice to see him making a new friend. As the Greenie turned to face her, Gen's heart stopped. She had seen him before. He was the boy who was taking notes in her dream. There was no doubt about it. It was him.

**A/N: I won't lie to you guys. I forgot about Ben being stung and had to improvise. Love you all :P Please forgive me. :) **


	51. The Prankster and The Greenbean

"Gen was silent. The boy was staring at her. Understandably. Gen was the only girl in the Glade and judging by the look on Chuck's face, he'd probably told the boy many different things,

"Gen!" Chuck called loudly, gesturing for her to come towards them. Looking over her shoulder at Newt, he flashed her a smile and nodded. Turning back, Gen forced a smile and moved towards the pair,

"Hello Newt." The new Greenie nodded at Newt before he set his brown eyes onto Gen, "I didn't think there were girls here... until Chuck mentioned you." He added lightly,

"I'm the only one." Gen smiled back, "Unlucky me, huh?" The boy smiled,

"I'd introduce myself but..."

"You don't remember your name." Newt smirked, "Don't worry Greenie, it'll come back to ya." He nodded, "Well, this is the Keeper of the Med-Jacks, Genevieve. We just call her Gen." Newt smiled, looking to Gen who was staring at the boy like he was diseased. She dreamt about him. Or well, she dreamt about a memory with him in it.

"What's Med-Jack?" The Greenie asked, looking to Gen with a frown.

"I'm who you go to if you do something dumb and get hurt." Gen grinned, "Ask for me, Clint or Jeff. We're the Med-Jack's that look after these shanks." She told him. Greenie pulled a rather confused expression,

"Shank?" He questioned, Gen shrugged,

"I dunno, that's just what we call other Gladers. So if someone calls you a 'Shank', you're fine. If someone calls you a 'Shuck' however, you should probably be offended." She chuckled. Greenie nodded,

"I'll be sure to remember that." He gave her a weak smile and Gen imagined the boy was terrified. "It was nice to meet you Gen. Chuck has told me quite a bit about you actually... Just up until a few moments ago, I thought you were a boy." At that moment, Gen turned her gaze to the sheepish looking Chuck who seemed quite displeased the Greenie had spilled the beans.

"Has he now?" Gen asked through gritted teeth, narrowing her eyes at the boy who swallowed,

"You know, just that you're the Keeper of the Med-Jacks and that you've been in the Slammer quite a bit and that you're my friend." Chuck said, "I was about to tell him that you have a secret romance with Minho. Oh and also that Newt and you share a room and also have a weird relationship. I would say you guys were like siblings, but that would be bordering on incest."

"You're not smart enough to come up with something like that. Who did you hear it from?" Gen growled, her focus locked onto Chuck who swallowed,

"Winston." He answered quickly. Gen turned her attention back to Greenie, who wore a rather uncomfortable expression,

"Don't believe a word Chuck bloody says." Newt said, "He has a habit of getting of shanks into trouble." He said lightly. Greenie nodded,

"Alright then." He nodded, it was obvious that Greenie had a lot he wanted to say, but he picked the safest and most intelligent option and shut his mouth.

"Chuck." Gen began, looking to the young boy who gulped, "I'm going to give you ten seconds." She told him,

"Wait, what?"

"10..."

"What are you talking about?"

"...8...7..."

"Gen! Stop it!"

"...5... 4..." Gen listened to Newt and Greenie, who were both laughing loudly and as Gen got to three, Chuck broke into a sprint, a rather slow sprint, but a sprint nevertheless. "2...1..." Gen raced after him, a broad smile on her face as she chased the boy who was both laughing and crying out for help. Darting around a post, Chuck darted side to side around the pole, using it as protection against Gen who was too quick for the boy, grabbing a hold of his wrist and pulling him towards her, "Oh, bit slow, Chuck." She grinned, looking down at the boy. Chuck's face was bright red and he was panting slightly, but he still grinned at her,

"You're just mean." He told her. "No wonder Minho likes you." He added, slipping from her hold and running to hide behind Newt and Greenie. Moving back towards the pair, she locked eyes with Newt who raised his eyebrow,

"Picking on little boys, Gen?" He asked, "And they call bloody Gally a bully." He mocked. Gen placed her hands on her hips,

"Newt. I have no issues with going through him to get to that little punk." Gen smirked, looking to Chuck who poked his tongue out at her.

"I have important stuff to do, Gen. I have to show the Greenie around." Chuck spoke in a matter-of-factly tone of voice. Looking to Greenie, Gen flashed him a small smile, which he awkwardly returned before she nodded,

"I'll let you off the hook this time, Chuck." She said, eyeing off the boy who moved from behind Newt and poked Greenie in the back, causing him to jump,

"Come on, Greenie. Let's get outta here." He spoke in a sophisticated tone of voice that even made Newt roll his eyes as the pair headed towards the Homestead. Gen watched with a small smile as Greenie waved to both Newt and her, ignoring the chatter from Chuck completely.

"So... that's the Greenie?" She asked. He seemed nice enough, but Gen couldn't shake the feeling that she knew him from somewhere. Or well, she knew that she did. He was in her dream, but if he was in the Glade, that meant that he was just like the rest of them: Lost, confused and with no memory of who they were before the Glade.

"That's him." Newt nodded, "He's a curious one too. Been asking questions about the Maze according to Alby." Newt told her. Gen smirked,

"Maybe he should meet Minho." She suggested. Newt laughed softly,

"Minho doesn't like to meet Greenies." He said. Gen gave a soft nod,

"Newt."

"Yeah?"

"What are we doing again?" She asked with a slight frown. Raising his eyebrow at her, Newt uncrossed his arms,

"Breakfast then Clint." He told her. Gen nodded once,

"Fun. I can tell it's going to be the highlight of my day." She grumbled sarcastically. She didn't want to talk to Clint. What was she going to say? That she had dreams about a man that turned out to be real and due to kicking him out of her head, she's been having nightmares about the maze mixed in with memories that often included Newt? Something told Gen that everything would be shucked if she told him anything. But, then again, it was Minho that ran the Maze, who was in danger everyday. But, in Gen's mind, she couldn't shake the feeling that Newt would die if she didn't do something. She just didn't know how or what to do. That was a lie, she had a suspicion on how Newt would... go. He had told her once, back when she had been the Greenie. He had told her about his suicide attempt, that he had jumped from the walls and because of that, he walked with a heavy limp noticeable to anyone. Taking a breath, Gen couldn't help but envision Newt jumping from the large concrete walls that kept them trapped like rats. It wasn't the imagine that scared her, it was the loud crunch that echoed in her head as he hit the ground. She felt a cool chill run up her spine as she allowed herself to escape back into reality where Newt was alive and well. She wouldn't let him feel as though he had to do... that. Moving towards Frypan and the kitchen, Gen kept her gaze straight ahead. She was capable of many things, but she wasn't as strong as she liked to think she was.

**A/N: Just a little fluff with Gen and Chuck. Thought it was something a little different as a lot of my chapters lately have been quite dark. As always, happy to hear feedback and just saying, if you have an idea that you think could work with the next lot of chapters PM me. :) **


	52. Inside the Mind of Gen

In all his glory, Clint sat across from the Keeper herself, his legs crossed and a knowing look on his face. He had a knack for knowing when things weren't right and he was right about Genevieve. Something was off about her. There were times when he would look to her and she would be off in another world. One more terrifying than the one they already lived one. But, it wasn't until he saw the way she looked at Newt when he realised there was something very wrong with her. There was no love in her eyes. At least, not the love that Newt wished to win from her. The way she looked at him, it was like he was a fragile glass, one tiny bump away from shattering and she was his protector, ready to die for him. As Clint met Gen's gaze, he parted his lips to speak, but quickly shut his mouth again, she was sprawled over the arm chair, one leg hanging over the right arm of the chair and her head propped up on her hand. Her eyes were fixated on him, but even then, she seemed to be staring through him. Her words had started to swim in his mind. The strange, almost begging words she uttered to Newt, who was just as confused as he was.

'_I'll do whatever you want me to do. Just as long as you stay..._'

In that very moment, Newt could have quite easily taken what he wanted from her. But, Newt wasn't someone of such low morals to take advantage of Gen while she was quite clearly in a delicate state of mind. The last time that Clint had witnessed such off behaviour was from the past leader, Nick after Rosalind died. Of course, his nightmares came from the grief of losing her and Gen had not yet lost anyone that she loved. If the girl was even capable of recognising the feeling. Minho was also another that suffered from Nightmares, not to the extent of Nick and now Genevieve, but he still remembered Minho's horror-filled awakenings as if they were yesterday. But, Gen was having more than nightmares, she had mentioned a name. Peter. Clint had never heard of anyone named Peter, not one that wanted vengeance against Genevieve.

"Will you tell me who Peter is?" Clint asked. Tilting her head, Gen shifting her leg from the arm of the chair and sat upright, both hands gripping at either side of the chair as she took a breath. She didn't want to talk to him. That much was obvious. But, Clint also knew that Gen knew she didn't have any other choice. Clint could help her, that much he was certain of, there were quite a few remedies he had used for Nick and Minho and many of the younger Gladers who had nightmares. But, the trick for something as extreme as Gen's case was for her to open up about her experiences and accept that they existed. That was the struggle he had when attempting to tend to Nick. But, Nick was far more stubborn than Gen.

"Peter is a man of my past." She answered. Clint gave a nod, she received memories from the Changing. It wasn't unheard of.

"Is he apart of your family?" Clint asked, "Is he your father perhaps? A brother?" Pausing, Gen's gaze moved to lock eyes with him,

"He destroyed my family." She told him, "He took us from our home, killed my parents and then put me here." Clint was taken back, he had heard of some frightening memories some had remembered, but nothing as dark as Gen's apparent life outside of the Glade.

"Did you watch them...?" He couldn't bring himself to finish the question, but Genevieve flashed him a smile,

"No. That's why it doesn't particularly bother me. I don't know who my parents are. But, I trusted the man that killed them. I don't know how, but he was talking to me inside of my dreams. I think he has something to do with the Creators. It's the only reasonable explanation as to who he is." Gen told him, leaning forwards on the chair and her brow furrowing. Clint was finding it easier than he expected to get her to open up to him.

"And, you think he wants to harm Newt?" Gen shrugged her shoulders,

"I don't know." She answered, "Maybe... He wouldn't hurt Minho. He's important..." Her tone trailed off as she spoke and Clint's brow furrowed,

"Why is he important?"

"How am I meant to know. I'm just repeating what Peter said." She snapped, "I don't see why I'm here. I'm not bothered by it. Newt is braver and better off in a fight than I would ever be." She said. She was lying. But only when it came to the topic of Newt. '_Maybe we did have something... in a past life outside of the Maze... and that's why it's always you...' _

"You've been dreaming about Newt. Why? What have you been dreaming about?" As Clint watched Gen flinch, he knew that he had hit a nerve, that he had hit the core of Gen's night terrors. It was Newt.

"Because he's my closest friend in the Glade? Because I rely on him? Because we're a team?" She was reciting the same words she spoke to Newt, when she told him she'd do anything to make him stay.

"Does Minho ever enter these dreams of yours? Or even Chuck?" Minho was the one person that could probably help Gen and put her mind to ease. Minho and Genevieve shared a rather strange bond, the way they acted around each other, it was as if the pair wanted each other so badly, yet at the same time hated each others guts. If Clint had asked Gen if she wanted Minho to stay in the room with her, he was sure she would rather have Gally with her than Minho.

"Chuck? Sometimes, only when I'm in the Maze. Minho shows up towards the end sometimes. When he shows up... I wake up fine. He kinda gets me out. But, if I have a dream about Newt and I outside of the Maze, I have to scream myself awake." She murmured,

"You dream about Newt outside of the Glade? As in you remember things about your past with him in it?" Clint had assumed as much, but he never thought she would actually tell him about it. Gen gave a slow nod,

"You can't tell him." She warned him, her eyes wide and her hands trembling.

"What was he to you?" He had gathered enough information to be able to properly medicate and know what to watch for. But, the question seemed important. Biting her lip, Gen's gaze dropped,

"He was my friend."

**A/N: So, Clint has kinda calmed things down with Gen and she should be a little more sane. We get to see some Minho and Thomas in the next chapter as well. I just wanna say I loved writing how Clint viewed Minhovieve 'They want each other so bad but hate each other's guts.' Kinda thought I would share my favourite line with you. Just for something a little different. What has your favourite line been so far. Can be from any chapter. Just make sure you remind me which it was and who said it. :3 Just something to mix things up. Also, the last chapter has been edited, to the best of my ability and re-updating. It's rather difficult to edit my own work as our brains will generally fix any mistakes we make as we, the authors read over it. Heh, the more you know. Also, to answer the guest who said there is a lack of action, my bad. Kinda hard to write a lot of action when it's mostly them in a huge maze. But, with Thomas around now, there should be more action. **


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